


When This World Ends

by Etheriell



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, F/F, Multi, Mythology - Freeform, Pollination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5269496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etheriell/pseuds/Etheriell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an angel, a demon, a spirit, and a dragon are forced to work together to try to stop the darkness from consuming the worlds, will they succeed? Or will they be dragged down into the abyss with those that came before? A RWBY Pollination fic set in a rather unusual AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is a brand new story, set in a weird little AU I came up with after seeing an adorable bit of fanart of Ruby as a devil and Weiss as an angel. Now, couple of notes - This is not even remotely canon AU. I don't even know what to call this one. It's a combination of mythological and modern day, so hey, why not mix everything up? Secondly, I do not know when I'll be updating this...it'll be when the mood strikes, but I'm going to try my darndest to keep up with this and Red Line too. Thirdly, this is a Pollination fic. Or, for those who don't know what that means, a polyamorous team RWBY fic. Now, before any pitchforks are raised...in this AU, Ruby and Yang are not related. Incest is a complex issue that I simply do not wish to get into, although I admit to having somewhat lax views on it so long as everyone is ok with what's going on. I just had a desire to write a poly relationship, so...here it is. If that's not your cup of tea, thats ok. I don't know if I'll end up writing smut in this. For now, it's staying T, as I'm more about both the relationship and the story I've come up with. This is a short introduction chapter, expect later ones to generally be longer.
> 
> The fanart I'm referring to is tough to link to, since it includes what I believe are japanese characters in the url. And well, you know how the link thing goes.
> 
> Disclaimer-No ownership of RWBY has I.

* * *

_When the last dragon wakes,_

_When the shadow's heart aches,_

_When the angel lies and the devil cries,_

_This world will end._

* * *

Every human culture on Earth held a similar prophecy, a story about the end of the world. Ragnarok, the apocalypse, etc. Behind the scenes, in the dark underworld that 'others' lived in, they too, had a prophecy. Millennia ago, when man was still waking up to their rulership over the material plane, this simple prophecy was left behind by the greatest oracle of her age, the Dawn Dragon. Her mysterious disappearance left many confused, and over time even her true name was forgotten. Shortly after she left, all of the other dragons fell into a deep sleep, hibernating for time immemorial.

Without the guidance of the great dragons, the sentient species that lived within the other planes began to quarrel and fret, disputes over territory and rights and cultures leading to a devastating war. No world was safe, save the Material plane, left all on its lonesome. Mankind flourished as the angels, demons, and spirits spent years destroying each other and their worlds.

This war lasted for hundreds of years, each side too proud to accept that all they were doing was hurting themselves. It was not until the first dragon awoke once more, and seeing the devastation wrought during his great sleep, the Twilight Dragon became enraged at what they had done. His breath decimated armies as his claws rent the very fabric of the Spirit World.

But dragons are guardians of peace, protectors, not destroyers. When his rage calmed, he realized what he had done. In the sorrow of his actions, knowing he had disgraced his kind and his ancestors, the Twilight Dragon quickly brokered a peace amongst the now cowed species. As soon as he had forced the Treaty of the Trinity through, with the agreement of all three species to abide by its dictates, he flew off into the depths of the Spirit World, diving down as far into its core as he could. Believing he could never be absolved of his crimes, he impaled his heart on his own claw, ending his life in an attempt to atone for his own destructive outburst.

Dragons are tied to the very fabric of the worlds, and the death of one by his own claw rocked the very foundation of them. A pulse of sickly energy flung outward from his being, corrupting sections of the Spirit World entirely, turning them from a lush, green world into a sickened miasma of darkness and plague. Creatures were born of this pain and anguish, dark spirits that hungered for the life essence that existed within all sentient species. These, were the Grimm.

No species suffered more at the hands of the Grimm than Man. Angels, Demons, and Spirits could fight back, could defend themselves. But Man was weak, and did not have the powers that the other species possessed. Knowing that this entire situation was their fault above all others, for warring over nothing, the three came together and made a pact. Together, they would fight back the forces of Grimm, these hungering beasts of darkness. Until the day came when they could find how to revert the changes that created the Grimm, they had to fight. Or so, that was the plan.

For while the war was short lived in the eyes of species who measure lifetimes in millennia, the memories of it persisted. Such prejudices were not so easily forgotten or set aside, and even those newly born were indoctrinated in the ancient hatreds. Time and time again, a dragon would awake and try to bring the species together once and for all, but nothing could seem to absolve the great hatred. In disgust, each of them would slowly give up and fly off into the darkness, never to be seen or heard from again.

It is now the Age of the Last. Of the six dragons who went to sleep when the Dawn Dragon disappeared, five have woken, including the Twilight Dragon. The Midnight Dragon, the Noon Dragon, the Moon Dragon, and the Star Dragon. Each had tried to help, and finally given up. Only the Sun Dragon remains sleeping, as Angels, Demons, and Spirits still quarrel and snarl at each other, even as they try to hold back the never-ending onslaught of Grimm.

But the Grimm grow ever more clever, becoming more and more intelligent, and learning how to blend in amongst their ancient foes…and especially their favorite prey, Man. The Three have also learned how to blend in with Mankind, sending out their best and brightest warriors to hide in the Material Plane, so they can be ready for whenever the Grimm attack.

And thusly, our tale begins…

* * *

"…and make sure to keep your tail hidden. Don't let it slip out, no matter how excited you get. And keep the glamour up at all times! Humans freak out when they see stuff like that. And don't do any magic where humans can see! And-"

"Yes Damian, I got it! I'm grown up now, I can do this!" The exasperated interruption came from a tall and slender young feminine demon, her black leathery wings held tight against her back. A lithe, barbed tail swung behind her, sticking out from the back of her ruffled red and black skirt. Two small red horns stuck up in her black, red-streaked hair as she rolled her eyes at the tall, brunette demon before her.

He sighed at her, looking down at her with an indulgent smile. "Ok, ok, fine. I got it Ruby. But do the glamour now please? And hide your tail!"

Ruby sighed. Quickly moving her hands in a complicated series of gestures, red lightning crackling around her hands as the magic took effect. A black pulse of light flung out from her, hiding her obviously demon attributes. Her silver eyes glinted as she grinned up at her mentor, twirling in place. "See! I look just like one of those human girls now!"

Damian snorted at Ruby, ruffling her hair. "Alright, you've been a good student. Just remember, your mission is reconnaissance. If you see Grimm, kill them, but be certain to do it where humans can't see you. If you have to, you can trigger the Displacement, but you know how much of a pain it is to clean up after them, so try to avoid it. And please try _not_ to break your apartment? We've procured one for you at the edge of one of the largest human cities, and your bills will be taken care of, but don't overdo it, ok?"

Ruby grinned up at Damian, practically bouncing as she quivered in excitement. She finally was ready to go out and become a true huntress, an elite warrior in the human world helping defend humans from the darkness of the Grimm! Damian just rolled his eyes at her again, turning away from her to begin the chant to open the gateway.

Ruby watched in rapt fascination as the runic circle on the ground began to glow, each symbol within the outer ring slowly lighting up one by one. As soon as the final circle erupted into blue light, a massive crackling bolt of energy shot down from the ceiling above, crashing into the center of the runic circle. It flared white for a brief moment, before splitting apart, creating a rend in space filled with a deep, swirling purple mist. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, but a clawed hand on her shoulder stopped her. Turning around, she met Damian's eyes once more.

"Ruby, your weapon?" Damian nodded to her left hand. Ruby's eye traveled down, noticing that she was still holding her massive scythe, the sleek black blade glimmering in the shifting lights coming out of the portal. With a nervous chuckle, Ruby quickly willed it to disappear. The blade burst into black smoke, spiraling around her for a moment before swiftly coalescing on her wrist, becoming a tiny black bracelet situated on her left wrist. He smiled down at her softly. "Good luck little red. We'll be rooting for you."

Ruby nodded sharply, spinning about to face the portal. With a steadying breath, she strode forward confidently, vanishing into the swirling mists.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are! The true first chapter, now that the introductions are done! I'm gonna keep this short and sweet, because I'm hoping it stands on its own. Let me know what you think! Let me also clarify...Demons are not evil, nor are Angels by default good in this AU. Each individual of each race makes its own choices, just as humans do. 
> 
> Disclaimer-I don't own RWBY...darn.

Ruby blinked as the disorientation of planar travel faded, her eyes slowly coming into focus. The bland tan walls of the apartment she had been assigned came into view. She appeared to be standing in the middle of the living room, between a scratched coffee table and a large brown sagging couch. The walls were plastered in various posters of what Ruby assumed her bands, clearly done by someone with a sense of humor as the words 'demon', 'devil', and 'hell' seemed to feature prominently. Two bookshelves rested against the walls, books piled haphazardly. Ruby smiled at that, glad someone remembered how much she enjoyed reading. A muffled groan from before her had her glancing down. When she saw a humanoid figure with a newspaper on its face laying down on the couch, she eeped in surprise, leaping backwards. Forgetting the coffee table was in her way, her eyes went wide as her arms windmilled, falling backwards to land bruisingly on the floor.

"Owwwww…" Ruby hissed, sitting up and rubbing at her bruised behind. The sounds of newspaper shuffling came from the figure on the couch. A perfect duplicate of Ruby sat up, stretching her arms as she yawned, eyes droopy as the doppelganger glanced down at the fallen Ruby.

"Ah, you're finally here. Took you long enough Ruby. I've been waiting for hours!"

Ruby blinked at her own face, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Uh…who are you?"

The clone gave Ruby a deadpan stare for a moment, before muttering something under her breath. "Did you actually read the briefing on how you're going to blend in at all?" Ruby sheepishly glanced away, the clone rolling her eyes. "I'm a simulacrum. Made from some of your essence and the aether. I'm a magical construct that pretends to be you, going to work, paying bills, gathering groceries, blah de blah, so no one gets suspicious while you go out and do your 'important' work of hunting or whatever. You can just call me Red."

"You…don't seem much like me. Actually, you're kinda mean."

Red scoffed at Ruby. "It's just us, I don't have to be anyone but me. Trust me, out in public, I'm the cutesy little hyper ball of energy that you're so well known for back in the Abyss. Anyways, here you are. I'll just go over all the stupid crap you _should_ have already known. So you're here in New York City, one of the biggest cities the humans have made. We're on the outskirts, not directly in downtown, which gives you a bit more leeway to get around sneakily. Lots of humans means lots of Grimm. We're on the thirteenth floor, so you have an ok view, but a crappy stair climb when the elevators don't work. You, and by you I mean me, work as a cheery secretary at a local bank. You get the bedroom…I like sleeping on the couch here. When you go out, try not to look like a stupid tourist. Supposedly you've lived here for three years. Anything you wanna ask?"

Ruby blinked rapidly at Red, shaking her head slightly to clear it. Before she opened her mouth, she crinkled her nose, an expression of disgust spreading across her face. "What is that _smell?_ "

"Humans are stupid and have this whole super high tech society that relies a lot on burning stuff called 'fossil fuels'. I'm not gonna explain it, but it puts a ton of smoke into the air. It's really bad around cities like this. Get used to it, clean air is practically non-existent in the material world."

"Oh yeah, I remember them telling us that in class. Wait, is it really true humans can't use magic?"

"Yep. No magic. So watch what you do. Humans will turn a blind eye to a lot of things, but best not to take chances, ok?"

Ruby waved her off, strolling over to the large set of blinds hanging down to the left of the couch. She glanced back at Red for a moment, who sighed.

"That's the balcony. Go ahead, get it out of your system now."

Ruby slid the blinds to the side, the afternoon sunlight blinding her for a brief moment before her eyes adjusted. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she froze in place. A magnificent skyline, dotted by massive structures reaching up towards the sky in the distance before her, across a large body of ever churning water. The light glinted off the buildings as the sun set behind them, millions of tiny lights flickering on, blinking into existence as the fire in the sky slowly slid into the cool darkness of night.

Ruby didn't know how long she stood there, transfixed by the vision, but eventually she felt a presence next to her. Tearing her eyes away from the vision before her, she glanced to her side, to see Red with a contemplative expression on her face.

"You know, the humans sure can build some beautiful things," Red's voice sounded out softly. "It's sad though. They still haven't learned to let go of their own internal hatreds. Too busy killing 'them' to work together to keep building."

Ruby, eyes having slid back out to keep the view of the sunset in her eyes, replied without taking her eyes off the slowly descending sun. "Didn't they learn anything from the Great War?"

"Human's don't know about that, remember? As far as they know, we don't exist. Besides, can you truly say your kind has learned from it? Us simulacrum's are outside your species. All three of your species use us for this, you know. We're just created beings. All we know is what we've observed over the years. I can tell you that far as we think?" Ruby just nodded to Red, inviting her to continue. Red went on, giving a sweeping gesture to encompass everything.

"You guys didn't learn a damned thing from it either. Twilight just forced the treaty on you guys after reminding you none of you were the true power of the world. And look at how well that's turned out! He's dead by his own hand, and you guys still can barely sit in the same room without getting into fights. It sickens me to be honest. Can't even respect another intelligent species…how will you ever beat the Grimm?"

"I know it's wrong. I don't hate angels or spirits. Or even the dragons for that matter. I don't hate anyone but the Grimm. But it's hard. Growing up, all I ever heard was how much the angels hated us, or how the spirits taunted us, or whatever. Lots of demons really hate them. I wasn't alive during the war, but lots of my kind were. Some awful things happened back then I'm told. I guess old grudges don't fade so easy." Ruby's words were soft spoken, refusing to turn away from the view before her. She felt more than saw Red's shrug.

"If you say so. All I know is what I've seen. But we'll see if you keep that whole 'no hate' thing when you actually _meet_ some angels or spirits."

"How do you guys get created anyways?" Ruby asked, her curiosity evident in her voice. Red chuckled briefly.

"All done by one guy actually. A werewolf artisan named Petro."

"Werewolves still exist? I thought they were extinct?!" Ruby exclaimed, tearing away from the view to look at Red.

"Almost. One pack still lives. Petro is the son of the alpha, he's the only one who knows how to make my kind. He kind of has your three species bent over a barrel on it. You guys need us pretty badly. He's pretty generous though. All he asked for was a place for his pack to live in peace, so there is a small village in the spirit world that belongs to his pack. No one interferes with their lives, so they do ok. It takes a long time to make one of my kind though, that's why only the best get sent to the human world. We're a hot commodity!" Red laughed, throwing her head back as she posed with a smirk on her face.

"So guess that makes him like, your dad or something, huh?"

Red shrugged. "Creator, sure. Dad, eh…family is something you people have. We just have us."

"Seems kind of lonely an existence…are you really ok with it?" Ruby asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Sure we are. We're basically humans in this case…we live normal human lives. We just know more than them. Don't get me wrong. We're not actually forced to do this. Petro gives us a choice. When he creates us, he tells us everything, and tells us we can either do this, or go off and make our own choices. But you gotta remember…our essence is the essence of the person we're pretending to be. Part of me is you. And you wanna be a hero, you want to help stop the Grimm…so I do too. This is what I can do to help. Besides, I enjoy the same things you do…so I just spend a lot of my downtime reading. I'm content where I'm at, don't you worry your pretty little head over it."

"…did you just call yourself pretty by calling me pretty?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Ruby stared at Red for a moment, feeling that strange sense of discomfort slowly fade as she took in Red's words. Red smirked at Ruby, before gesturing towards the doorway to the right of the room. "Anyways, lemme cook you up some dinner, then you can get started. Night's fallen…it's the time of the hunter."

* * *

Ruby stood on the ledge of her apartment's roof in the dark, breathing deep as she glanced around. Though the sky was clouded over, the entire area was aglow with the numerous lights shimmering all throughout the city. Red had told her they were on something called 'Staten Island', one of the five boroughs of the city they had moved to. She hadn't paid much attention…while fascinated, she had a job to do. The smell of all the smoke continued to annoy her, but she had learned to set it aside for now as she began the ritual all hunters became familiar with.

Taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes, she let her magic range out from her, seeking out her prey. Her senses expanded, floating over the massive city like a giant blanket. At first glance, it was all silent and still, not a single trace of the corrupt life force of a Grimm, but then… _there!_ An oily miasma of magic had congregated across the water, far on the other side of the city from her. Not that distance meant much to a demon with her brand of magic. Grinning to herself, she swirled her red cloak over her shoulders, flipping the hood up to cover her face. Wrapping a scarf around the lower section of her face, to be certain none could recognize her just in case, she bent down into a position not unlike a sprinter. One more deep breath, channeling the powerful magic within her, before she _moved._

Launching herself off the rooftop, she began flitting from roof to roof, clearing vast spaces in the blink of an eye. She was strongest at enhancement magic, magic that allowed one to increase one's own physical abilities. In her case, she specialized in enhancing her speed, stamina, and agility, allowing her to move faster than the vast majority of creatures in any plane. What had taken her the longest time to prepare for her arrival in the human world had been figuring out how to deal with the air resistance. In the other planes, species did not have truly material bodies, they were only souls. This allowed them to exist outside of atmospheres, meaning air resistance and such did not exist.

On the material plane, it was an issue for anyone who relied on speed such as hers. Going as fast as she did, she would normally create sonic booms, or superheat the air around her, thus causing more damage than it was worth. But with the help of one of her mentors, she had designed a spell that allowed her to phase herself slightly out of touch with the material plane. This allowed her to speed past the barriers of the plane itself, allowing her to keep her incredible speed without the drawbacks. It did require quite a bit of her magical energy to keep up however, so she could not rely on her speed for everything.

She flew out over the last building, falling towards the waters below. Without skipping a beat, she _bounced_ off them, dashing so fast she ran across the surface itself. She was nothing but a red blur, moving faster than the human eye could possibly see. As soon as she hit land though, she ran up the side of a building and began leaping once more, preferring to stay as high as possible so as to avoid chances of being spotted, even with her speed. She had studied human technology quite a bit (and had even incorporated some of it into her weapon), and knew some human cameras could catch things moving as fast as she was.

In no time at all, she had reached the area she had felt the Grimm presence. Landing softly and skidding to a stop at the edge of a building overlooking a narrow, dingy alley, she peered down into the darkness. Her demonic eyes easily piercing the blackness, she could see the oily black forms of Grimm slowly creeping towards someone dressed entirely in white. Ruby instantly stood and called her weapon with her mind, the black bracelet bursting into smoke and swirling into her hands, the familiar heft of her pride and joy, Crescent Rose, filling her with confidence. The massive scythe dwarfed her, its razor sharp blades gleaming in the soft glow of the city lights. Leaping off the rooftop, she descended.

She landed just in front of the figure in white, bringing her weapon to bear. But before she could react, a crackling sound came from behind her. Spinning around, she was greeted by the sight of a massive icy blast flying straight towards her face. Eyes wide, she triggered her magic, barely dodging out of the way as the ice flew down the alleyway, impaling the front line of Grimm, her hood flying off as she hit the pavement below. Rolling onto her back, her elbows supporting her, she glanced over to finally see the figure.

Short and slender, with long, flowing white hair, she stood over Ruby. Her stance simply screamed nobility, the pristine white dress completely out of place in the dreary alleyway they stood in. Arresting ice blue eyes locked onto Ruby's silver ones, a grimace spreading across perfect lips. In one hand, she held a rapier, runic symbols etched onto every surface. But beneath all that, Ruby saw through the glamour. She could see the feathery white wings extending from behind the woman, the shimmering aura that came with beings of the celestial realm…an _angel._

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot? I could have killed you!" she shrieked, her voice startling Ruby. Ruby gulped, the shorter woman's anger palatable even in the darkness. She scanned over Ruby once more, scoffing. "Oh, of course. A _demon._ " Her voice was tinged with disdain as she looked away. Ruby's eyes narrowed, leaping to her feet to tower over the figure, yanking her scarf down so the lower part of her face was visible and her voice could be heard.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she snarled, not liking the way the angel had said that.

The angel scoffed haughtily. "You heard me. A demon. You're just one of those dangerous abyssal creatures!"

"I didn't do anything to you! I was just trying to help!"

"You will! All you demons do is wait until someone turns their back then you backstab them instantly! And as you can see, I don't need _your_ help!"

Ruby slammed the haft of her scythe into the ground, the pavement cracking from the force. "You don't even know me!"

The angel narrowed her eyes at Ruby. Silence fell for a moment, before something seemed to come over her. A slight twinge of her shoulders, she closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath. Dropping her head down, she mouthed something to herself, lifting her head back up a moment later to look at Ruby. "Weiss Schnee. And you are?"

Ruby paused for a moment, surprised by the sudden mood change. Coughing slightly, she stood tall. "Ruby Rose."

Weiss nodded at Ruby for a second. "Fine. Now I know you. Now, would you kindly leave so I can finish my task?"

"Hey, I came here to hunt Grimm too! Maybe we could work together?"

Weiss opened her mouth to reply, her face twisting in a grimace, but a smooth, velvety voice rang out from the darkness of the alley. "Work together? At what? Getting yourselves killed?"

Ruby and Weiss whipped around, weapons at the ready, gazing down the alleyway. A singular figure strode through the darkness, wisps of shadow swirling about her. Corpses of Grimm lay smoldering about her, reminding Ruby and Weiss that throughout their entire argument, the Grimm had still been alive. Ruby's jaw dropped, as the clouds of shadow coalesced, forming into a beautiful woman, amber eyes piercing the darkness. Long, sleek black hair flowed down her back, a singular sword held in her right hand, the sheath held in her left. Two small, triangular fur covered ears sat prominently atop her head, a smirk on her face.

"What are you blathering on about, spirit?" Weiss hissed. As Ruby turned to glare at her, the angel stopped, shaking her head as she grimaced. "…sorry. I meant to say, what do you mean?"

The woman raised an eyebrow at that, but avoided commenting. "I mean while you two had your little quarrel, I took care of the Grimm you forgot to finish off. Fighting is pointless in the human world. We have more than enough problems to deal with without getting in each other's way."

Weiss paused for a moment, her eyes looking up as she contemplated the words of the woman before her. Sighing, she spoke. "I suppose…you have a point. We're all here to hunt the Grimm and protect humans. But this doesn't mean I want to work together!" she snarled, turning to glare at Ruby. Her eyes went wide as she realized Ruby had disappeared from beside her. Spinning around aimlessly, she spotted the red cloaked demon crouching by the corpse of one of the Grimm at the entrance of the alley. Sighing, she strode down the alley, striding past the other woman to gaze down menacingly at the demon girl.

"I was _talking_ , dolt! Could you at least pay attention to me?"

Ruby hmm'd at Weiss, holding up a small, rectangular device with a piece of metal sticking out of one end. "I've seen these before. Human's use these. They are called 'flash drives'. They hold information on them! Maybe there is something we can use on this to find where the Grimm are hiding?" Ruby looked up at Weiss, an eager grin stretching across her face. Weiss' eye twitched as she gazed down at Ruby, her eyes locked with silver. For a moment, nothing happened, before she sighed exasperatedly.

"Fine! We'll work together to find where the Grimm are hiding, but just this once!" Ruby leapt to her feet gleefully, practically leaping on Weiss to hug her. The angel's eyes went wide as she bounced back, trying to keep her footing as her arms were suddenly full of demon girl. She nearly fell over, but a steadying hand from the spirit kept her upright as she pried Ruby off of her. She began brushing her clothing off, about to give Ruby a piece of her mind, but the young demon had already spun past her to look at the spirit.

"Sooo…wanna come with?" her eager grin stayed, infectious in nature as the spirit tried in vain to keep a stoic expression. Ruby tilted her head to the side for a moment, her eyes practically quivering, breaking all resistance.

"Alright. I'll go."

Ruby squealed, leaping into her arms much as she had Weiss. Though she had been ready for it, after seeing how Ruby had reacted to Weiss' acceptance, she was not ready for the brief kiss on the cheek Ruby gave her. Her cheeks went bright red, eyes wide as she froze. Ruby seemed not to notice, dropping back to her feet. Glancing over, she was treated to the sight of Weiss standing with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the two of them with red tinting her cheeks. Her attention was dragged back to the demon before her, the red-clad demon clasping her arms behind her back.

"So, you know our names….what's yours?"

"Blake. Blake Belladonna, shadow spirit." Ruby smiled brightly at her.

"Ok, awesome! We'll show everyone demons, angels, and spirits can work together, yeah!" As Ruby pumped her fist in the air, clearly excited, Weiss and Blake shared a confused glance, unsure why Ruby was so excited. Their silent conversation was interrupted by Ruby stopping before the two of them, holding the drive in her hands as she glanced up at them.

"So, uh…anyone know how these things work?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, announcement that I have come up with a name for this AU. From now on, this is the Trinity AU. Other than that, I sure hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Feel free to tell me what you think of it, reviews/comments always make my day better! :)
> 
> Disclaimer-Nope, don't own nothing. RWBY is not mine *crie*

A pounding on the door of her apartment had Red slamming her face into her pillow. Muttering some very unkind words about whatever idiot was currently knocking on her door at three in the dragon-damned morning, she crawled herself out of her lovely, soft blankets and shuffled to the door, giving a huge yawn as she yanked the door open, too tired to look through the peephole.

Ruby stood there, scythe held behind her back in one hand, her tail and black wings visible for all to see. To her left was Weiss, who had taken the precaution of hiding her angelic traits, but her aura was clearly visible to Red. Blake was shuffling nervously on Ruby's right, glancing around to try to see if anyone had noticed. Ruby waved at Red, smiling sheepishly at her doppelganger.

Red gave one deadpan look at Ruby before slamming the door shut, the loud crash shaking the door frame. Ruby gave a small shriek, before shaking her head and hitting the door again. "Red, c'mon! We can't stay out here!"

Red yanked the door open again, growling at her. "It is three in the damned morning, Ruby Rose! You don't need sleep but I sure as hell do! And why did you even need me to open the door, you have a key!"

"I…err…kinda forgot it?" Ruby chuckled nervously, keeping her eyes on the ground as she shifted her weight between her feet. Red's eye twitched, but let go of her anger with a long suffering sigh. Grabbing Ruby's arm, she yanked the demon into the apartment, gesturing to the other two to get in. Carefully glaring down both sides of the hallway and seeing nothing, she shut and locked the door once more. Spinning about to view the three young women before her, she dropped her head and closed her eyes.

"You know, when I said 'we'll see how you do when you meet angels and spirits in person', I didn't expect your first night to include some ménage a trois one night stand thing with angels and demons."

Weiss' eyes went wide, sputtering indignantly as her cheeks lit up red. Blake froze in place, refusing to look at either Red or Ruby. Ruby just gaped, before shaking her head and hands frantically before her. "N-No, that's not what's going on! We just ran into each other while out hunting and we found something that might lead us to a nest so we decided to work together to figure it out and maybe take out the nest quickly but none of us knew how to use the thing so we tried to figure out what to do and I said we should come here cause you'd know how to use it and so we came here!" Ruby's rambling ended with a big smile as she panted slightly, having said that all in one breath. She held up the flash drive.

Red stared at Ruby blankly. Shaking her head, she sighed once more, snatching the drive out of Ruby's hand. "Fine! I'll get my fricking laptop. You are already becoming far more of a pain than you are worth." Grumbling to herself, she plopped down on the couch, flipping the lid on her laptop open. Glancing up and seeing the questioning gaze on the three women, she held up a hand as Ruby opened her mouth. "No. I'll explain what this is later. For now, just…sit down or something. Get Weiss and Blake some water, Ruby…something. Be a courteous host."

Ruby nodded frantically, quickly about facing towards the kitchen before freezing in place. "Wait…I didn't tell you their names. How did you know?"

Red glanced up from her laptop to see the questioning gaze on Ruby's face, and the somewhat disturbed gazes on the faces of the other two. She rolled her eyes. "Seriously!? Do _no_ hunters actually _read_ the blasted guidebook?!" Weiss flushed, refusing to meet Red's eyes as Blake shifted uncomfortably in place. Red sighed again, hand twitching slightly. "Simulacrum's share a mental link. A hive mind if you will, although we all have our own personalities. I simply asked for information on you two on the link when I saw you. Weiss, White says you are in for it when you get home, you left the dishes in the sink again. Blake, Black wants you to know _your_ cat threw up on her pillow again and she is not pleased."

Stunned silence greeted Red's proclamation, broken swiftly by Weiss marching over to glare down at Red. "Well, you can tell miss fussy britches-"

Red covered Weiss' mouth with her hand, forestalling her angry rant. "I am not your telephone service. Deal with her when you get there. I only passed her message on because she was kind enough to tell me who you are. Oh, hey, this is interesting." Red's attention was swiftly yanked back to her laptop, eyes scanning the screen intently as it flickered. Ruby blinked over to her side, the rush of wind from her movement stirring up old newspaper's all over the coffee table.

"What's interesting?"

"They encrypted the drive, with some really heavy duty encryption. Must be something very important on it."

Blake blinked, sidling over carefully to peer down at the screen as well, although she could not make any sense of what she was seeing. "Encrypted?"

"They protected it. Think of something like a warding spell, only done with technology," Red replied dismissively. "You know how you have to decipher the particulars of a ward to dispel it?" At the understanding nods she got, she gestured to the screen again. "Well, it's something like that. Have to figure out how they did it to remove it. I don't know jack shit about computer's though. Luckily, Pie does."

Weiss crossed her arms impatiently over her chest. "Who is Pie?"

"Simulacrum of an angel hunter named Pyrrha. You should be familiar with her," came Red's distracted reply as she typed furiously on the keyboard, fingers dancing across the keys at blinding speeds.

"P-Pyrrha?" Weiss' mouth dropped open, eyes going wide.

"What's so special about this Pyrrha?" Blake asked, glancing up at Weiss from her crouched position next to Red.

"She…She's one of the most incredible hunters we've ever sent out! She's so strong and smart and skilled…" Weiss trailed off, stars in her eyes as she stared into space. Ruby chuckled, smirking at Blake. Blake tried to hide her giggles behind a cough.

"Sounds like someone has a _crushhhhhhh_ …" Ruby sang, faking a swooning motion. Weiss glowered at the demon girl, flushing again. Ruby darted over and tossed an arm over Weiss' shoulder, giving her a tight side hug. "Aww, it's ok Weissy, I'm just messing with you!"

Weiss' face flushed again, her pale features splotched with red as she pushed Ruby off her. "D-dunce! Just…just hurry up and find the information!"

Red sighed, rubbing her eyes as she paused at her typing. "Yeah, this ain't cracking anytime soon. Pie was able to help me crack one of the layers, but it'll be days before we get the rest. However…I did find some info on where one of the smaller Grimm nests are. It's actually in the Spirit World. Says they have something 'special' there, whatever that means. The file has a memo about it being…in the decimation?"

Blake nodded, speaking softly. "I know where that is. It's referring to the only place in the spirit world where a volcano exists. Way back when Twilight died, the forest at the base of the mountain there became corrupted. We're not sure how it happened, but moments later what we had thought was an ordinary mountain erupted. The top blew clean off, and it destroyed the nearby area for many leagues around. It also destroyed the corruption itself. Nothing has grown back in the millennia since it happened, and corruption has not seeped into the area again. It's been abandoned for a very long time. Not a bad place to set up a base, if you don't fear the volcano. We've always assumed a powerful, angry fire spirit lives in that mountain."

"Well, that certainly makes sense I suppose. Does the…file, you said? Does that contain any information on how many Grimm there are?" Weiss asked Red, one arm crossed across her chest, the other holding her chin as she contemplated.

Red shook her head in negation. "Sadly, no. If you go, you go in blind." The three women shared a glance, letting an unspoken conversation take place, before nodding in concert. Ruby turned back to Red.

"Tell us everything."

* * *

The portal snapped shut behind the three women. Blake, being a native of the plane, had managed to open the gate fairly easily, but she was not an expert in translocation magic, leading to the three huntresses being a good distance from their goal. Still, Blake figured this was the better way…this gave them more room to search and sneak up on the enemy, albeit she wasn't certain how sneaky Weiss or Ruby could be. With them out of the Material plane, they had let their glamour's face. Weiss' soft, white wings were folded tight against her back, one hand gripping her rapier tightly as she surveyed the area, eyes narrowed.

Contrasting Weiss was Ruby, her tail flicking back and forth in excitement as she gaped, wide-eyed. Her scythe hung from slack fingers as she turned to and fro, desperately trying to take in the world they had traveled to. The Spirit World was the main hub of planar travel, so it was not unusual to find demons and angels in it, but apparently neither Ruby nor Weiss had been there before, if their reactions were anything to go by. Blake smiled softly to herself as she watched the two get their bearings.

They had landed in one of the lushest forests Blake knew of, one of her favorite during her childhood. Green surrounded them, a vibrant shade that practically glowed in the brilliant starlight above. The Spirit World did not have a day/night cycle as the human world did…it was interspersed with incredibly bright stars, stars that lit the entire world up as brightly as the sun ever could, but in a shocking array of colors that only served to further demonstrate the subtle beauty of the realm of the spirits. Ancient vines stretched across the canopy from tree to tree, the gargantuan trunks stretching up into the skies above. The soft murmurs of tiny fae as they flitted from tree to tree, the quiet sound of small animal spirits as they went about their daily lives, the very pulse of magic that thrummed beneath the surface of the world joined together to create a chorus of _life_.

Blake let her mind wander as she stood, letting the two of them get used to the world. Taking a deep breath of the clean air, she sighed softly. Ruby had practically leapt on top of Weiss, gripping her arm tightly as she began babbling about everything she was seeing. Weiss' face had gone red once more as Ruby's chest pressed against her arm, but she wasn't pushing Ruby off. Weiss listened intently to the demon girl, letting her gaze follow where Ruby's arm pointed. Blake stood just to the side, watching the two of them with an indulgent smile on her face.

 _'Ruby is far sweeter than I was told demons are. Weiss is just as strict as I heard, but something about her…something tells me there is more to her. It doesn't hurt that the two of them are so easy on the eyes.'_ Blake sighed dreamily for a moment, before the realization hit her and her eyes went wide. Shaking her head quickly and growling to herself, she clenched her fists tightly. Thoughts like that were bound to get her in trouble, and she didn't have time for this.

"Ladies, if you are quite finished? We have a mission to complete…" Blake trailed off as Ruby practically teleported next to her, her form shaking with barely contained excitement.

"Blake! Your world is _amazing!_ It's so pretty!" Ruby's grin stretched across her face, silver eyes full of life. Blake gulped as the full force of Ruby's pretty eyes locked onto hers, feeling the blood rushing to her face as Ruby grabbed her hand and squeezed it. With a giggle, Ruby disappeared again, flitting about from tree to brush to vine, oohing and aahing over them.

Weiss sidled up next to Blake, arms crossed over her chest as the two of them watched the demon girl, who had just leapt up and stretched her wings out, hovering around one of the ancient trees. "She's…a handful, isn't she?" Weiss questioned Blake, her cheeks still slightly pink. Blake nodded, not feeling the need to reply. Weiss shifted nervously, lowering her hands to clasp them in front of her. Turning to face Blake completely, she took a deep breath. "Blake…I wanted to apologize for how I acted when we met. I…all I've ever heard were how awful demons and spirits are, and I didn't want to believe it, but…"

"But it was all you heard and it's difficult to ignore what your loved ones tell you." Blake finished for Weiss, understanding in her amber eyes. "I know what you mean. Approaching you two was not easy for me, but well…I was a little worried you wouldn't stop fighting with each other to finish off the remaining Grimm." Blake smirked at Weiss, seeing the angel roll her eyes in response. Blake turned to face Weiss, bowing slightly. "Apology accepted." Weiss smiled softly at Blake, the two women locking eyes for a brief moment, until a cough interrupted them. They spun about to see Ruby standing before them, hands on her hips, amusement dancing in her eyes as she smirked.

"Am I interrupting?"

Weiss gave Ruby a glare as Blake giggled. Blake let her giggles peter out, before gesturing forward. "We may as well get started. It's not too much farther from here."

"How will we know where it is?" Ruby asked.

"You'll know."

* * *

"Well…you're right. I know." Ruby's voice was awed as she stared around. For as far as her eyes could see, all she saw was a massive, flat, onyx colored surface, reflecting the starlight above. The only variation in the vast featureless area was the volcano itself. The mountain stretched up high into the sky, cracks and fissures ripped all along its sides. Smoke poured up from around the mountain, as boiling magma slowly oozed along inside the cracks.

Weiss looked uneasy, leaning away from the volcano. "Um…are you certain it's safe?"

"It hasn't erupted since Twilight died, I'm sure it'll be fine," was Blake's dismissive reply.

Ruby stood tall, hands on her hips as she gazed around. "Well, guess we gotta find that Grimm base now!" She took a moment to scan the area, eyes narrowed as she sought something out of the ordinary, but… "Umm…I don't see anything." Weiss and Blake were also looking around, slowly scanning the horizon. Weiss shrugged at Ruby, but Blake froze, peering at the base of the volcano.

"Aha! There!" She pointed excitedly, the other two quickly following the line of her finger to find…

"That circle of rocks?" Ruby arched an eyebrow at Blake, confused.

Blake shook her head in negation. "No, illusion magic. I specialize in illusion magic. It always leaves a slight trail you can pick up if you know where you are looking, and that is definitely an illusion."

Weiss glanced over at Blake. "And how we do we break it?"

A grin slowly spread across Blake's face, her sharp teeth glinting in the starlight. Her amber eyes lit up slightly as she replied. "We make them do it."

* * *

It hated this task. Guard duty was always the most boring of tasks. No one ever came near the volcano, what was the point huh? It wasn't like hunters were going to show up, and none of the fae would come near the stupid thing. Not to mention it was _fucking hot_ next to an _active volcano!_ Human's sucked at a lot of things, but air conditioning was an excellent invention. They could replicate it with magic, but nooo, they hadn't sent a single Grimm along who could use creation or elemental magic. It sighed heavily, nose twitching as it sniffed the air once more. Smoke, burning rock, ice, mint…wait, mint?

It's thought process was interrupted by the giant ice spike that had just impaled it. It looked down to see the white-blue spike penetrating its chest. As its mind grew dim, it was able to reach down deep enough to roar once, the sound alerting the base to the presence of…something. Its mission accomplished, it slumped down, dissipating into the aether.

Weiss smirked confidently, rapier at her side, spiraling magic glyphs behind her and on both sides of her. More massive icicles formed around her, holding firm in the crushing heat due to her magic. The illusion Blake had spoken of shattered, a large cave formation appearing, and out of it rushed the Grimm. Many of them had once been animal spirits, and thusly the forms the corruption had created kept them so. Weiss grinned, happy to be back in the thick of battle. Letting her storm of ice fling forward, she bent down for a brief moment. Letting her legs push her up, she spread her wings fully, the white feathers aglow as she called upon her magic.

Ruby gaped up at Weiss, shining brilliantly in the starlight, her regal bearing evident even as she fought. She gulped slightly, feeling her face growing hot, but a nudge in her side from Blake reminded her of her part. Summoning her scythe and falling back into the sway of her magic, she burst out of the illusion Blake had wrapped the two of them in. Wings spread wide, she flew across the ground at a low level, the Grimm who were currently gazing up at Weiss not even noticing her approach.

Her scythe cleaved clean through three of them before they even realized she had appeared in the midst of them. Feeling dramatic, she posed for a moment, her red cloak swirling about her. The scent of roses had always followed her, her magic leaving behind a trail of rose petals ever since she'd been presented with an enchanted rose as a child. She had so loved the scent and the way the petals had felt, she'd incorporated them into her magic. Whenever she cast a spell, rose petals would follow behind, and they littered the ground as she dashed between the Grimm. She felt more than saw Blake's shadowy presence behind her, blocking a blow from a hulking spike covered Grimm beast, its blocky head decapitated by Blake's blade.

Blake's teeth were bared as she fought, shadows wreathed around her. The only light in the storm of shadows were her glowing amber eyes, her form seeming to shift and writhe as she danced in the darkness. Darting between Grimm, her form nothing but smoke every time they tried to strike her. Shadows wrapped about the neck of one, yanking it up into the air where Weiss impaled it on her rapier. The angel dove down, dodging a strike from a cruel dark mockery of an angel, wings where its arms should have been, a humanoid face atop its body. It snarled at her, trying to follow her in the dive, but a scythe ripped through it seconds before it could reach Weiss. Ruby saluted Weiss, smirking, as the angel rolled her eyes. Ruby let herself fall backwards in the air, spinning about and spreading her wings wide, catching herself just before she hit the land.

The three danced between each other and the Grimm, letting their instincts carry through. Every time a Grimm thought it had a strike on one of them, another was there to deflect or end the Grimm. Every back was covered, every move was calculated, a cold, cruel slaughter of the monsters that could not be redeemed.

With a final swing, the last Grimm fell. Ashes floated up from beneath the three, the Grimm dissipating into nothingness, their essence consumed by the Spirit World once more, free to return. Ruby wiped sweat off her forehead, grinning at the other two. Weiss glanced up from where she was cleaning her blade, giving Ruby a quiet smile as Blake slid her blade back into the sheath. Ruby made to walk over to the others, but was thrown off her feet by the rumbling of the ground beneath her.

Smoke began pouring out of the fissures rapidly, the magma that had been ever so slowly oozing churning and bubbling in the cracks all over the volcano's sides. The flat onyx below them cracked, a spider-web pattern spiraling out from the base. Steam vented out from these cracks, making Ruby yelp as she rolled away from the superheated gas. Gulping, she glanced up, wide-eyed, at the orange glow forming around the caldera up above. Blake helped Ruby to her feet, Weiss quickly dashing to her side as well. The three gazed up at the mountain, fear evident in their eyes as the rumbling increased, the land shaking below them and making balance extremely difficult. Ruby decided to give sound to what they were all thinking.

"Ah shit."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, chapter 4! This is starting to actually follow a real plot, what am I doing now? And a cliffhanger. Kind of. Because I so loved tormenting you all in my other story with those, why not do it again? Mwahahahahahahaha *cough cough choke wheeze*...ok I'm done. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer-No ownership of the RWBY has I.

Blake grabbed Weiss and Ruby by the arms, forcing them to look her in the eye. "Weiss, Ruby, fly. Fly as fast as you can away from here."

Weiss pulled her arm away, staring at Blake. "I'm not leaving a comrade in arms to die. Besides, I'm not fast enough. But Ruby, you can get away. You're fast enough. Go!"

Ruby glared at the two women. "Like hell I'm leaving you two behind! I don't leave my friends to die. We came here together, we're ending this together."

Neither Blake nor Weiss could stop the smile that flitted across their faces at Ruby's declaration of friendship, but a tearing sound dragged the three's attention back to the volcano. It almost seemed in slow motion, the thunderous explosion that ripped from the summit of the peak. Massive black clouds of ash flew into the air as the entire side of the volcano burst open, lava spilling out from it, flung into the air by the force of the explosion. It began to fall towards the three women in a deadly mockery of rain.

Thinking quickly, Weiss slammed her rapier point first into the onyx below, channeling her elemental magic. A thick dome of ice swiftly formed around the three, each drop of magma landing on the ice and hissing, slowly melting the dome. For the briefest moment as the trio watched the ice form, it had almost looked to Ruby as though something was pushing itself out of the lava, but the view was quickly cut off by the ice dome.

Weiss concentrated as best she could, pouring her magic into the ice to keep freezing the ice that was melting, forcibly cooling the lava as it tried to cut through the ice dome. Ruby and Blake locked gazes for a brief moment, nodding in concert. They placed their hands over Weiss' on the hilt of the rapier, combining their magic with Weiss'. Though they knew almost nothing of elemental magic's, they could at least give Weiss their raw magical power and allow her to power the dome.

Time seemed to pass ever so slowly for the three women. Weiss' entire form was shaking, her body rebelling from attempting to channel so much magical energy at once. Her head felt like a hammer was pounding on it from the inside as her entire body groaned with every twitch. Muscles tense and locked in place, the sweat slowly dripping down her forehead as she gasped for air. All light from outside had slowly faded away as more and more lava cooled around the ice dome, coating it in a dense cool rock. Ruby and Blake were not fairing much better, exhaustion written on their faces as they gave every drop they had to let Weiss keep the barrier up.

After so long, Weiss simply could not hold it anymore. Her trembling hands lost their grip on the rapier and she fell backwards, eyes fluttering shut. Ruby dove to catch her, grabbing her from behind but losing her own balance in the process, her wobbly legs causing her to trip. She pitched over, but Blake managed to slide in behind the two, her back against one of the walls of the ice. Ruby landed in Blake's lap, her head knocking back into Blake's nose as Weiss slumped against Ruby, breathing shallowly. Ruby half-twisted to glance worriedly back at Blake.

"Blake! Are you ok?"

Blake nodded, one hand over her nose. "I'm ok. Just a little bump was all. Are you ok?" Ruby gave a half-hearted smile back to Blake, nodding her head. Blake removed her hand from her nose, the remnants of her magic already having healed what little damage her nose had taken. She peered around Ruby to look at the unconscious Weiss. "How is Weiss doing?"

Ruby bit her lip worriedly, trying to heft Weiss up into a better spot. Eventually she managed to situate the angel on her lap, cradled in her arms. Ruby felt her heart begin to speed up when she realized the awkward position the three of them were in…Ruby was between Blake's spread legs, her back to the spirits chest, and Weiss was curled up in Ruby's lap. Not that it wasn't comfortable…considering they were in an icy dome covered in cooled lava, it was pretty cold. The combined body heat helped.

Several thoughts ran through the demon's mind. The first was that Weiss' wings, which were pressed up against her chest, were very soft, almost silky. The second was that she hoped her wings and tail weren't bothering Blake. The third was that both Weiss and Blake were surprisingly warm and comfy. The fourth was that in Blake's arms, Ruby felt…safe. Something she had seldom felt since she had been formed from the aether. Her musings were cut short by Blake's soft voice in her ear.

"Ruby?"

Ruby remembered that Blake had asked her a question before she became lost in thought. She giggled nervously. "Umm…I think she's ok. She's just exhausted." Blake gave an hmm noise in agreement. Ruby pressed on cautiously. "You think we should try to get out? It's very quiet outside." Ruby felt more than saw Blake's shake of her head.

"Better to wait for Weiss to wake and remove it herself. Who knows how long it'll take us to break through it." Blake tightened her hold around Ruby subconsciously. When she realized what she had done, she went to release her hold, but Ruby made a soft whine like a small animal when she did, making Blake freeze. Ruby fidgeted for a moment, seeming to get more comfortable as she let out a tiny satisfied sigh when she leaned further back onto Blake's chest, Weiss still curled in her lap. Ruby mumbled something softly, too garbled for Blake to understand. "What did you say?" Blake asked.

"I said you're very comfy," was Ruby's sleepy reply as she snuggled closer to Blake. With her head tilted to the side, Blake could see the demon girl's eyes were closed. Blake wanted to say something about the inadvisability of sleeping in their current situation, but Ruby simply looked far too adorable to try to move. Weiss looked nearly as cute, curled up as she was, unconsciously snuggling closer to Ruby and Blake to get to the warmth they exuded. Blake closed her eyes tightly, clamping down on her sudden desire to squeeze both girls tightly in her arms, merely holding them as she had been.

Ruby's breathing slowly fell down into the deep, slow breaths of the dreaming. Blake took a deep breath, wondering what she had done to be tortured with not one, but two adorable women asleep in her arms. Some sadistic deity had it out for her, of that she was sure.

Blake's musings were interrupted by a massive crash right outside of the previously quiet ice dome. Ruby jolted awake in Blake's lap, attempting to leap to her feet, her warrior instincts kicking in. However, she had not taken into account the fact that Weiss was on her lap still, and Blake's arms were still wrapped around her. With a raucous ' _whoa!'_ , she fell out of Blake's lap, dragging the dark-haired spirit with her, landing across Weiss' legs as the angel went sprawling out on the ice. A low groan came from Weiss as she slowly came to. Her eyes opened to take in a scene of Ruby splayed out across her upper legs, Blake with one arm stuck beneath Ruby and dragged onto her side next to Weiss' pinned form.

Blake met Weiss' eyes, embarrassment flickering in amber eyes as blue eyes widened in shock. It took mere moments for Weiss' temper to return, and as blood rushed to her face she opened her mouth to begin lecturing the two of them, but was interrupted by another massive crash, this one shaking the ice dome itself. A loud scraping noise was heard from the outside, the three girls looking up to see light slowly filtering into the ice, the lava seemingly being scraped off.

As they stared dumbfounded, the light was dimmed as some figure stretched out over the dome. Suddenly, with an immense smash, three colossal claws rammed into the ice, the curved tips mere feet away from the three as they lay on the ground, fear apparent in all of their eyes. With a grunt, the claws dragged the ice backward, ripping the side of the dome off as though it were simple paper. As bright starlight flooded into their eyes, the trio blinked rapidly to clear out the blinding effect of the change in light, only to gape.

A sinuous golden, scale covered neck, attached to a vast body that stretched far behind where they could see, a golden tail curled out of their sight. Above them, looking down at the trio with a tilted head, was an intelligent serpent-like face, brilliant lilac eyes gazing down to them. A multitude of bright yellow spikes flowed behind the head, steam slowly escaping from its mouth. Two wings folded against its back, a row of spikes following the spine. A creature all knew of, but had never seen…a _dragon._

The three had no words, shock keeping them frozen in fear, until lilac eyes narrowed at the three of them and a low growl came from the throat of the titanic creature. It opened its mouth, revealing razor sharp teeth lined along a mouth large enough to swallow all three of them at once, its voice a deep rumble. "Do you three have _any_ idea how _loud_ you are?! _I was having a nice nap!_ " its voice switched to a roar, the force of its angry yell sliding the three backwards along the ice-covered floor, sending them careening into the still standing far wall of the icy dome.

Ruby sat up, rubbing her head ruefully as she pouted at the dragon. "Well, it's not like we knew you were there! And how is sleeping for millennia a nap?! Besides, we had to take care of those Grimm!"

The dragon cocked its head to the other side, seemingly perplexed. "What in the worlds is a…Grimm?" The trio blinked at the dragon as they sat up, utter confusion written upon their faces. The dragon glared at them. "Well come on, I've been asleep a long time! I have no idea what happened while I was napping!" The exclamation once again pushed the trio over. Weiss leapt to her feet after that, her shoulders shaking as she pointed at the dragon angrily.

"Would you stop that?! That is very rude!"

The dragon blinked, narrowing its eyes at the angel for a moment. It huffed, the force of that nearly throwing Weiss from her feet, before nodding. "Hmm, yes, I guess a conversation is tough with how tiny you are. Gimme a sec." The dragon closed its eyes, its entire being becoming suffused with golden light. It flared brilliantly, sending a scintillating cascade of gold swirling around its form, coalescing in front of the trio. As they shielded their eyes from the blindingly bright glow, they were able to squint and make out a glowing humanoid being walking towards them, before the glow finally faded.

Once again, all three gaped as the sight before them. The dragon was no longer a dragon, but a woman. A naked woman, with well-defined musculature, a pair of large, firm breasts, and flowing golden hair cascading down her back. Eyes closed, she stretched for a moment, bringing her arms above her head as she jut her chest out, arching her back for a second. When she released her stretch and glanced forward at the three, she smiled brightly. "Hi! I'm the Sun Dragon, Yang!" She waved happily to the three, leaning slightly to the side when her greeting got no response. Narrowing her eyes and noticing how the gaze of all three women seemed to be lingering upon her upper body, she smirked for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Ehem. Ladies, the eyes are up here."

Ruby jolted, chuckling nervously as she looked up at Yang through her eyelashes. Blake shifted her gaze to the side, refusing to look up as blood rushed to her face. Weiss squirmed in place guiltily, her throat dry as sandpaper as she tried to keep her gaze above the throat but finding it very, _very_ difficult. She squeezed her eyes tight for a moment to concentrate. "Y-you should put some clothes on then!"

Yang looked down at herself for a moment, before glancing back up at the three bashful women. "Oh right, you people and your _clothes._ Fine, fine. I'll put clothes on." A flurry of golden light surrounded Yang once more, spiraling away to reveal what Weiss would loosely define as clothing. A partially open vest over a low cut top, with a pair of short shorts with a back-skirt trailing behind. Yang rolled her eyes at the three women, hands on her hips. "Alright, I'm wearing…clothes. Ugh. So uncomfortable. Anyways, what's up? Why did you wake me?"

Ruby squirmed, hands folded before her as she muttered. "Well…there were Grimm. We had to kill them!"

"Ok well how about you actually tell me what a Grimm is in the first place?" Yang said, exasperated.

"Grimm are corrupted creatures native to the Spirit World. Ever since they came into being, Grimm have been hunting and consuming the souls of the sentient species of the realms, but humans most of all. That's why hunters from our species hunt down and destroy Grimm, so as to keep people safe from them," Blake explained.

"Corrupted? How did things get corrupted? And how long was I out? And why does everything feel so…full of anger? And why can't I sense the other…dragons…" Yang trailed off.

The three girls shared a glance that spoke volumes, before Ruby cleared her throat. "You might wanna sit down for this..."

* * *

" _WHAT?!_ " Yang exploded, fire flaring out from her figure. " _Twilight killed himself?_ _And all because you stupid, STUPID_ _people were fighting over absolutely nothing?"_

Ruby cringed, shrinking back from the enraged Yang. Blake and Weiss casually slid forward, slightly blocking Yang's view of Ruby as the demon girl curled in on herself. Yang didn't seem to notice, her hands pulling at her hair as she paced back and forth. Trickles of flame spilled from her mouth as she growled indecipherably.

Yang suddenly came to a stop, now crimson eyes narrowing as she turned back to the three women. "Is Twilight the only one?"

"The only one who took his own life, yes. As far as we know. The rest simply disappeared after a little while. No one knows where they went," Weiss replied curtly.

Yang nodded absently. "So…I'm the last to wake?"

"Yes."

Yang ripped her eyes away again, pacing once more. "So no one has seen another dragon in how long?"

"…five hundred years," was Blake's reply.

"…so I'm the last?" Yang paused in her pacing, her back turned to the three. Her shoulders began shaking as her voice trembled. "I mean…Dawn said I'd be the last, but I thought she just meant the last to wake up, not…this." Yang's legs gave out. She fell down onto her knees, head in hands.

Ruby peered out from behind Weiss and Blake for a moment. The sight of Yang suffering was too much for her, and in a flurry of petals she disappeared and reappeared beside Yang. Carefully, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Yang's shoulders, pulling her close. Weiss started forward, worried Yang would react negatively, but Blake held her arm in front of Weiss. Blake mouthed 'wait and see' to the angel. Weiss gulped but paused, eyes fixed on the situation before her.

Her worries seemed for naught, as Yang just leaned into Ruby's side. Silent tears were trickling down her face as she wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist. She nuzzled into Ruby's side for a moment, before lifting her face up. Lilac eyes locked with silver ones as Yang gave her a warm smile, tear trails still evident on her cheeks. "Thanks, Red. I needed that."

"Of course! Everyone should get a hug, especially right after they wake up!" Ruby's statement was met by eye rolls from the monochrome duo in the back. Blake and Weiss shared an indulgent smile.

"I dunno what to do now though. Can't go back to sleep, far too awake," Yang's musings were interrupted by a massive growl from her stomach. Ruby's head jerked back in shock as Weiss and Blake stared at her, eyes wide. Yang glanced down at her abdomen. "Well, that settles it I guess. Anyone know where I can get a decent meal?"

"You can come back to my place! Red is a great cook!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Who is Red?"

Ruby opened her mouth to being explaining, but Blake stepped forward and lay her hand on Ruby's shoulder, interrupting her. "Let's explain on the way back. It won't be long before someone comes to investigate…be it Grimm, Angel, Demon, or Spirit, I don't think it'll go over well to find all of us here together." Ruby and Weiss nodded along, Yang shrugging her shoulders. She clambered to her feet, pulling Ruby up into her arms effortlessly. Ruby squeaked for a moment as she felt herself suspended in midair in Yang's arms, held bridal style. Yang winked at her, sending a pulsing heat through Ruby's chest, before she let Ruby down from her arms.

Weiss crossed her arms grumpily over her chest, her cheeks flushed as she glared at the two. "Ok, can we _go_ now?"

Ruby gulped, feeling the inexplicable urge to fan herself, before responding. "Umm, yes. Yes, let's go. Blake, could you do the portal thingy?" Blake rolled her eyes, a tiny smirk across her lips as she began the chant.

* * *

"It's begun. The last has awoken."

" _Are we sure this is what we want?_ "

" **Of course we are! We've worked towards this for so long!** "

"We're still not certain this is the right path. It's very manipulative."

" **We all be too worried 'bout this. It's what we wanted in the first place, innit?** "

"The last woke. It's too late to back out of this."

" ** _We could still stop this now, if we wanted. It's within our power._** "

" _We agreed long ago this was the way to go! C'mon, we know this is our only chance to fix it!_ "

" _Is it? Are we sure about this? We made this decision when we were one, but now we are many. And we do not all see the same as we saw long ago._ "

" **Does it really matter? We have sacrificed much, as have those we love. We must see this through to the end.** "

"We are still unsure."

"We all are unsure, but we are all sure. At this point though, our path is set before us. We have made our choice. The last has awoken. She will push and push and push, as she always has. When she pushes too far, they will move forward, they will fight, they will make their choices. What choice they make is up to them, but we must see through to the end. This is our last chance to make up for our mistake long ago."

" _…yes. Our path is set. But why them? Why did we do this to them?_ "

" **It hurts to do it, yah. We shouldna dun it to them, but they were the only ones we saw with this in them. They'll probably never fergive us, but we gotta do it.** "

" ** _We agree. Someday we must tell them. Someday they must know why we did this._** "

" _It is time to begin the next phase._ "

"It has already begun."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are, chapter 5! I really hope you're all enjoying this! If anyone is interested in a little more background on the races themselves, I've set up a page on my Tumblr specifically about the TrinityVerse AU races. Feel free to look if you're interested!
> 
> Disclaimer - I don't own RWBY...sad to say that so often.

Weiss' eye twitched as she watched in morbid fascination. Yang had eaten more in one sitting than she recalled eating in her last ten meals together. Right now, she had one hand dug into a box of some kind of small, circular shapes human's called 'cereal'. Red was off to the side, a long suffering sigh on her lips as she threw another set of eggs into the pan on the stove. Ruby was sitting on the other side of the table as Yang, contentedly munching on some type of red fruit…Weiss believed she had heard Red call them 'strawberries'. Humans had such weird names for things.

A nudge in her side took her attention off the dragon and demon currently gorging themselves. Turning, she was met by the smooth amber eyes of Blake. Blake jerked her head towards the living room, a silent gesture asking her for a private word. Weiss nodded, following her, the other three not even noticing them. As they sat on the couch, Weiss noted how Blake was wringing her hands as though she were nervous of something. Weiss cocked her head at Blake, waiting patiently.

"Weiss…I…I just…ugh why is this so hard to say?"

"Blake, whatever it is, just say it," Weiss replied, her curiosity aroused.

Blake let her head droop low for a moment. "I just…wanted to say thank you. If it weren't for you, Ruby and I would be very, very dead right now. You _saved_ us Weiss. Thank you."

Weiss was taken aback, her mouth gaping. Shaking her head and clearing her throat, she quickly sat up straight as she turned to Blake. "You're welcome, but I'm sure you would have done the same for me."

"Maybe. But I needed to tell you something else too." At Weiss' gesture to continue, Blake took a deep breath. "You drained all your energy Weiss. I doubt Ruby noticed, she was fairly tired too, but you were very close to dissipating. You can't do that again, ok? Don't overdo it next time, please."

Weiss glanced away from Blake, the concern in the spirit woman's voice making her heart race. She flicked her eyes back to Blake for a second. Seeing the worry shimmering in her eyes again, she stared firmly at the coffee table in front of her, before nodding, not trusting herself to speak. Blake's smile softened, but the two were interrupted by a red blur appearing in their laps…literally.

"Oof!" Blake exclaimed as Ruby's legs stretched out across her lap, the demon girl's head lying in Weiss' lap.

Arms crossed behind her head as she smiled brightly up at Weiss, she giggled. "Whatcha two talking about?"

Blake rolled her eyes as Weiss huffed, the angel shoving gently at Ruby but not actually pushing her off her lap. "Nothing you need be concerned with, dolt. Now get off me, I should get going home. I need a long soak in my Jacuzzi after today."

Blake lifted an eyebrow at Weiss, opening her mouth to speak, but Ruby beat her to it. "What's a…Jacuzzi? Is that another human thing?" Ruby's head was cocked to the side, her expression curious.

"Yes, it's a human thing. It's like…it's like bathing in a warm pool that constantly swirls around you. It's very relaxing," Weiss muttered, refusing to look down at the far too adorable demon in her lap. The sound of someone clearing their throat had her looking up to see Yang, leaning against the doorframe to the living room with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Sounds like fun. Can we come?" Yang's grin stretched from ear to ear as Weiss glared at her. A hand gently tugging at her collar from Ruby made her glance down to see a sight that was clearly designed by some sadistic torturer…a pouting Ruby.

Weiss exasperatedly turned to Blake, hoping the spirit wouldn't be that interested, but a spark of excitement lit up in her eyes and Weiss knew she was alone. Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Alright, alright. This apartment is too small for us to get anything accomplished anyways. My place is much larger, it only makes sense. I'll call White-"

Red interrupted Weiss from the kitchen sink where she was currently rinsing dishes off. "No worries Weiss. Already told her, she says she sent the car. Driver is one of us, so don't worry about them seeing you. Besides, it'll be good for you to relax, Pie still hasn't cracked the drive. She's close though, so be ready for some action whenever I get the info back."

Weiss let her head drop once more as she sighed heavily. She had a feeling this was going to be a stressful evening for her.

* * *

Weiss was wrong. This wasn't a stressful evening. This was torture of the highest caliber. She had thought it bad when she was trying to get Yang into the car (apparently, dragons were claustrophobic. Who knew?). _Keeping_ Ruby in the car had been a trial all on its own, as she was still fascinated by human architecture. And the reaction of the three when they realized Weiss' cover was of the idle rich, and her house reflected that. But all of that paled in comparison to the current issue Weiss was facing.

Weiss had her back to the Jacuzzi, arms crossed over her chest as she tried to hide her burning cheeks. Beside her Blake stood, a similar expression on her face. The two shared a commiserating look, but a raucous laugh made them flinch.

"Oh come on, you already saw me naked. I can't exactly bathe while clothed, can I?" Yang said, amusement in her voice. She was sprawled out on the one side of the Jacuzzi, arms tossed over the sides as she looked at them with a twinkle in her eyes. Her form was obscured by the moving water, but it hadn't stopped them from all getting an eyeful when she just tossed her clothing off and slid into the water in the first place. Ruby still had not returned from the bathroom on the other side of the room where she had locked herself in after Yang's clothes disappeared.

White came strolling in, holding a stack of fluffy towels in her arms. Her resemblance to Weiss was apparently in form only, as she arched an eyebrow at Yang before a sultry smile crossed her face. "Looking good there, dragon lady," she called out as she strode past the Jacuzzi. She slapped Weiss on her behind, the angel's eyes opening wide in embarrassment as she strolled past. "C'mon Weissy, you have a hot woman in the Jacuzzi and two more in the house. Surely that's a cause for celebration, eh?" Setting the towels down on the bench on the far side of the room, she chuckled to herself as Weiss had begun turning to lecture her, but catching a glimpse of Yang again had made her spin back to face the wall with Blake. White rolled her eyes. "Let me know if you need anything else!" she called back as she left the room, swaying her hips.

Blake glanced at Weiss worriedly, the angel's hands clenched in fists at her side as she glared at the wall. "Umm…well…she's-"

"Don't. Just…don't," Weiss seethed. The bathroom door creaking open caused all three women to glance over at Ruby. She was as red as her namesake, a towel wrapped around her form as she shuffled over to the Jacuzzi.

Yang arched an eyebrow at her. "Well c'mon Rubes, just hop in already."

"Rubes?" Blake said, surprised.

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, Rubes. More fun to say. So come on, girls! Water is very nice," her voice trailed off as she leaned back, closing her eyes.

Ruby's hands shook as she released the towel, revealing her fully unclothed form to the three. Weiss and Blake's jaws dropped at the firm, lithe musculature the demon girl had. Yang's eye cracked open for a moment, before shooting open in surprise as she let her gaze rove over Ruby's form. Ruby wrapped her arms around her chest, cutting off the view of her breasts from the gazes of the three women as she shuffled about nervously. However, the feature all three locked onto was the massive scar that stretched from Ruby's left shoulder down to her right hip, looking for all the worlds as if someone had tried to cut the demon girl clean in half. Ruby noticed where their eyes had landed and looked down at the floor, shame in her eyes.

Yang's appraising gaze softened as she smiled up at Ruby, patting the top of the water. "Hey." Ruby looked up slightly to meet Yang's gaze as Yang nodded down at the tub. "You stop that and get in here. You're gorgeous." Yang winked flirtatiously at Ruby, the demon girl flushing slightly as a tiny smile made its way across her face. Carefully she slid into the water, curling her tail beneath her as her wings folded against her back. Yang's eyes narrowed as she leaned behind Ruby, glancing at the center of her back. "Hey, Rubes?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that on your back?"

Ruby instinctively glanced backwards, confused, before she caught onto what Yang was talking about. "Oh, the mark? Yeah, was born with it. Dunno why." She shrugged. Weiss and Blake took a step forward, looking down to view what the two were talking about. Ruby's pale skin was marred with a dark red mark that stretched across her back between her wings, resembling the head of an animal with an elongated snout, snarling teeth, and pointed ears. Yang narrowed her eyes at it, feeling as though she'd seen it before...

"Huh…that kind of looks like some of the Grimm we fought," Weiss commented as she studied it.

"It's a wolf's head. Wolves are animals here in the human world. Some spirits take after them. Werewolves shapeshift into wolves too," Blake replied, before pointing at her ears. "My people take after an animal known as a 'cat'. That's where my ears and tail come from."

"Tail?" Ruby asked, popping up slightly in the water and turning around to gaze up at Blake in rapt attention. Weiss gulped as she tried to avoid glancing at how Ruby's movement made certain body parts move in very interesting ways.

Blake flushed as she realized what she had admitted. "…yes. I have a tail."

Ruby squealed in excitement, her previous embarrassment falling to the wayside thanks to her glee. "Yay! We can be tail buddies! Let's see it!"

"Yeah Blakey, let's see your tail," Yang said, winking at her.

"Are you _always_ this perverse?" Weiss screeched, glaring at Yang.

Yang shrugged. "Hey, I've been sleeping for a long time, princess. I'm just trying to relax and fit into the current world. Takes a little while to get used to this, you know. It's easier to just stick with simple things…besides, are you saying you _don't_ want to see Blakey's tail?"

Weiss sputtered as Blake turned to her with wide eyes. As all eyes fell on Weiss, she felt her cheeks heating up as she looked away from them all determinedly. "Well…I mean…if she wants to show us…"

Blake blinked rapidly, sighing. Looking down at the two naked women in the tub, she shrugged. She began to peel her clothing off, but when she realized the three women were staring at her in rapt attention, a horrible, wonderful idea went through her head. She froze for a second, feeling embarrassed, but decided to just go with it. Besides, it was just them.

Instead of stripping out of her clothes quickly as she originally decided, Blake toyed with the button on the front of her vest, as she enjoyed the way all three women seemed frozen in place. She flipped open the button, letting her vest open. Slowly unclipping the straps on her shorts, she let them fall down. She shrugged the vest off, pulling the ribbons off her arms and sliding her sleeve off her left. Bending down, she rolled her stockings down, pulling them carefully off her legs. She bit back a giggle at the enchanted expression on Ruby's face, with her leg only a few inches away from the demon girl. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pulled her undershirt off, fighting the blush on her face when she heard the sudden intake of breath from the other three as their eyes instantly shot to her chest. Sliding her hands down her sides, she fiddled with the edge of her shorts for a second, glancing slyly over to see the frozen angel beside her staring at her hands and biting her lip. Yang's lilac eyes were half lidded as she gazed at Blake, the intense look sending a burst of heat through her. Finally, Blake slid the shorts down, letting out a sigh of relief as her tail unwound from where she had bundled it up against her upper thigh.

Blake stood nervously, her tail flicking behind her as the three women stared at her nude form. Holding one arm in the other, she stepped out of her clothing, carefully sitting on the edge of the Jacuzzi and sliding in, hissing slightly as the rather hot water hit her skin. Ruby grinned widely, coming out of her trance first, sliding next to Blake and grabbing her own tail, holding it up before Blake. "See, tail buddies!"

Blake giggled at Ruby's reaction, holding her own up shyly. Ruby's grin widened as her tail whipped out and wound around Blake's for a brief moment. Blake's eyes went wide as her pulse shot through the roof, her tail rather sensitive after being cooped up for so long. Ruby winked at Blake, untangling their tails and turning to gaze up at Weiss.

"C'mon Weiss, join us! It's your thingamajig! It's warm and lovely!"

Weiss glared down at Ruby, unmoving at first, but then Ruby lowered herself deeper into the tub, letting her head droop down until only her eyes were visible above the lip. Gripping on the edge of the tub, she let her eyes quiver slightly, silently giggling inside at how Weiss' eye twitched. " _Fine!_ " Weiss snarled, practically ripping her clothes off as she disrobed as swiftly as she could. Her slender form strode purposefully to the other side of the tub and stepped in daintily, ripping off the tiara holding her hair in a ponytail. Holding her head high and ignoring the low whistle Yang gave her, she took a seat in the tub across from Ruby. Crossing her legs demurely, she refused to look at any of them.

"See, that wasn't so bad princess!" Yang said, the amusement evident in her voice. Weiss grumbled under her breath, refusing to acknowledge Yang at all. Yang turned her sunny grin to Blake. "So, Blake, would you like to explain what _that_ was?"

Blake flushed. "What what was?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "That little tease right there. Don't try and play with me…we all know what you were doing."

Blake ducked her head and kept her eyes locked on the roiling water. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about." A disturbance in the water had her freeze as she felt Yang approach her. Yang placed her hand on Blake's chin and lifted Blake's face up to look directly in her eyes. Yang scanned over her face for a moment as Blake held her breath from Yang's proximity.

"Hmm…alright Blakey. We'll play it your way. But don't think I'm gonna forget." Yang ended her little sentence with a wink, sliding back through the water to sit across from Blake once again, smirk on her face.

"Can we just sit quietly and enjoy the Jacuzzi, since you all made me bring you here in the first place?" Weiss snapped, a frown upon her face as she glared at Yang. Yang noticed how Weiss had subtly moved closer to Blake and let her smirk widen slightly, but kept her tongue.

Yang had been around for a very long time, and though she had slept many of the recent centuries away, some things never changed. She'd seen a lot of things in her time, and to her, it was obvious where all this was going. But she sure as hell wasn't going to fight the flow. Besides, it certainly helped distract her from…other things. Her face fell momentarily as she felt the familiar pain well up in her chest, but she firmly clamped down upon it, forcing her bright smile back on. "Sure thing Weiss! Why don't you guys tell me all the other details I missed while taking my nap? Maybe…some happier ones?"

Yang hadn't meant for that last part to come out as pleading as it did, but the guilty expressions on the other three's faces told her she had chosen her words poorly. She was about to wave it off and dismiss it, but Ruby instantly began telling a story with great vigor about her training to become a hunter. Yang relaxed back into her seat, smiling, enjoying Ruby's enthusiasm, flailing limbs and all.

 _'This isn't so bad,'_ Yang thought to herself.

* * *

White came strolling back in some half hour later, finding the four women in various states of relaxation. Yang appeared to be asleep, Ruby was scrubbing at herself lazily, Weiss was brushing her hair, and Blake was…reading? White took note of how the water seemed to avoid the book. _'Must be a repelling charm,'_ White thought to herself. Clearing her throat and nudging Yang with her foot as she walked over, she arched an eyebrow at them.

"So Red contacted me. It appears Pie came through, and we found the main Grimm base…but we have a small issue as to the location."

"Well, what is it?" Ruby asked.

White sighed. "It's a massive casino in the middle of Times Square." The blank looks all four women gave her made her sigh again. "Times Square is an area of this city where humans are every single second of every single day. And not just a few. A _lot_ of humans. Casinos are places where humans go to gamble. It's also going to be heavily populated."

Ruby exchanged looks with Weiss and Blake, before taking a deep breath. "We'll need the Displacement."

Yang raised her hand. "Uh…what's the Displacement?"

"The Displacement is one of the most powerful ritual magical tools hunters have access too. In order to keep the rules that humans not know of our existence, we needed something that let us operate where humans are populous but not be noticed," Weiss replied. "The Displacement moves a localized area of the human world out of the Material Plane and into a demi-plane, but leaves the humans in their plane. In the demi-plane, time is altered so that it gives hunters more time to deal with the Grimm, before we have to replace the humans and the area we moved back. Unfortunately it can't freeze the Grimm, so we still have to fight them."

"The problem is it requires massive amounts of magical energy, and it doesn't last long," Blake picked up where Weiss left off. Anticipating Yang's next question, she continued. "Also, it's difficult to call for, because it requires a ritual team of all three species, and after what we told you about interspecies cooperation…you can imagine how tense it gets when they have to stay in close quarters with each other for even a short period of time."

"In other words, you're going to call up your people, they are going to get together, cast a massive spell that sounds like it could fail at any moment. They'll probably be arguing with each other or being jerks. You're going to then go into this demi-plane and attack Grimm, just the three of you, and hope this all goes right?" Yang asked, her voice deadpan.

Ruby shrugged. "Pretty much."

"…I want in. I'm going."

"Hey, I know you're a dragon, but you can't shift into your dragon form while we're in there. No one knows what would happen if a full dragon appeared in the Displacement, but I imagine it would not be pleasant. Dragons are the embodiments of magic itself after all," White interjected worriedly.

Yang grinned, holding up her arms. Flames erupted from her skin, covering from her elbow to her fingertips. As they faded, golden scales had crept out and covered her forearms, her fingers now ending in wicked claws. Her eyes had gone bright red as her hair was aglow, wisps of flame trickling out from it. Steam trailed out of her mouth as she smiled, her teeth much more pointed than previously. "Don't worry. I can fight perfectly fine in this form." Her voice had gone deeper, huskier, sending a shiver down the spines of the other three in the tub with her.

White closed her eyes for a moment, before shrugging. "Well, the rest of the network thinks it'll work. Maybe. They are contacting your people now. A few blocks from Times Square there is a hotel we own. We'll have to begin the ritual there. Get dressed ladies, not that I don't enjoy seeing you like this. But we'll need to wait on fun…it's time to work for a living." White sauntered out of the room as the four women clambered out of the tub, reaching for the towels, preparing for the assault.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this weekends debacle that was the latest RWBY episode (dear god it killed me. Truly, just up and murdered me.) I simply had to do some writing to try to distract myself. Ironically, of course the next chapter, was this chapter. This...could be interesting. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer - I don't own RWBY, or we'd have an episode next week, not all the way in January.

Ruby shuffled nervously next to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. The three had congregated in what apparently was a ritual chamber, hidden beneath the hotel White had spoken of. It was massive, easily stretching far beyond the limits of the hotel building. Fluted stone columns spun up into the ceiling above, with three tremendously sized runic circles spaced equidistant from each other. Two thin golden poles stood in front of them, between them a swirling vortex of deep green spirals. They were expecting the arrival of the demon ritual group any moment now, and Ruby was slightly nervous. She loved her people, but they tended to both be stubborn and somewhat…excitable.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the colors shifting in the vortex, going from green to a deep red, then swirling into purple lightning. A brief flare of light spun out from the gateway, before a tall, muscular demon stepped through, his black hair flopping into his eyes. More demons followed him, immediately marching off towards one of the circles. He broke out into a grin as soon as he spotted Ruby, striding over to her.

"Ruby! Not even in the Material Plane a week and already you found a massive Grimm nest. I knew you were on of our…" he trailed off as his eyes landed on the women standing next to Ruby, narrowing his eyes. His mouth opened once more, but Ruby quickly dashed up to him, grabbing his hand to get his attention.

"Damian! These are my friends, ok? _Ok_?" She repeated when she saw him open his mouth again. He grimaced, eyes flicking between her and the three, before letting out a deep sigh. He strode up to the three women. Placing one hand over his abdomen, he bowed.

"Angel. Spirit. I…greet you. T-Thank you for helping my student," he began. His eyes flickered over to Yang, a confused expression flitting across his face, but before he could react the portal shifted into a blinding blue-white.

Stepping through the portal was a tall man, with a military bearing. His hair was short and gray, wings tucked firmly against his back, arms clasped behind him. Like the demons before, the following angels moved off to another ritual circle as the two came forward. The taller man nodded his head at Weiss.

"Weiss. You have done a great service in finding this nest. Well done."

Weiss clasped her hands before herself and bowed nervously. "W-Well, General Uriel, a-actually…it was Ruby who found the device that led us to it. She has been very helpful in the mission, as has Blake."

His eyes narrowed as an expression of disgust crossed his face. He glanced between the two mentioned, before snorting. "Hmph. These two? I highly doubt they could be of any use to one of your caliber."

Damian dashed over, snarling, his tail flicking behind him as he glared into Uriel's eyes. "Excuse you mister pomp and pageantry, do not dare speak down to _my_ student. Or should I give you _another_ lesson?"

Uriel's eyes widened as he snarled back, his left hand shoving Damian away. "That was one time, demon! Next time you won't be so lucky!"

Damian's reply was cut off by the gateway swirling once more into a void, a host of beings striding through. Fae, animal spirits, swirling forms of different elements, each one unique. The front one strode forward, her bottom half nothing but a swirling torrent of water sliding across the ground. Her upper body was fully formed, but slightly translucent, swirls of liquid flowing within her.

"I see the two of you are at it again, as always. So uncouth."

Damian snarled again, eyes flipping between the two of them as Uriel's hand clenched at his side. Uriel threw off a dismissive wave as he turned away from her.

"Silence, Undine! You're as useless as you always were, nothing but a flake!"

"You dare speak to me so, Uriel? You and your angels are nothing but bastards, forcing yourself where you don't belong! I bet your little slave over there wouldn't stop following Blake around!"

"How dare you? Weiss is far too good for her, or for that demon for that matter!"

"I warned you once Uriel, I won't warn you again!"

"Oh sure, solve everything with your temper Damian! You haven't changed. Did your little protégé inherit your stupidity?"

"Shut up Undine! And don't speak of Ruby that way! She's the one who found the evidence, your little shadow there just followed her along like a good little pet!"

As the three began closing on each other, voices raising as tempers flared more, Yang noted how the three girls began shrinking back, and away from each other. Ruby couldn't seem to look up, one arm crossed across her chest holding her other arm by the elbow. Weiss was trying to stand at attention, but kept her gaze firmly on the gateway itself, her arms shaking slightly. Blake kept flinching with every shout, her ears lying flat against her head. Yang felt her soul heat up within her, eyes twitching as she shook in place. But when a tiny whimper came from Ruby, that was too much for Yang.

" _SHUT IT!"_ she shouted, her magic taking form. A glowing column of flames rose off of her, eyes burning red as the fire swirled into being. The flames took form above her, forming into a massive dragon above her, all figures in the room freezing with wide eyes as they realized who Yang was. Yang ignored the reactions of everyone else, stomping over to the three fighting before her. "You bastards had best stop talking about those girls like that! I don't give a damn if you hate each other, but if you make one more comment about them, I will _melt_ you! It's because of stupid shit like that that Twilight….Twi-Twilight…di-ARGH!" As Yang stuttered over the last part, she screamed in frustration, spinning away from the three. She turned and slammed her still burning fist into the column to her right. Dust blasted outward from the impact point, spider-web cracks creeping outward. As she panted, trying to catch her breath, the others could see she had nearly punched clean through the solid stone.

Silence filled the room for a moment, before a heavy sigh was heard. Damian stepped forward cautiously, bowing low before Yang. "My apologies, Sun Dragon. You are right. If you wish, you may strike me down as recompense for my mistakes."

Yang blinked at Damian, eyes wide. "Umm…"

Ruby darted over to Yang's side, cupping her hand over Yang's ear to whisper. "He's pretty old school about some things. He's all about honor and stuff, but he has a temper, which doesn't go well together. Just let him off easy or something."

Ruby pulled back, letting Yang speak. Yang ran one hand through her blonde hair and sighed. "You're…forgiven. Yeah, forgiven. It's ok." Damian nodded sharply, returning to a standing position as he strode off towards the demons gathered around their rune.

Uriel huffed, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We're all in this mess because of Twilight in the first place," he muttered.

Yang's eyes went red as the flames blazed into being faster than ever before. She rocketed across the floor, fist cocked as the scales quickly covered her arms. She reared back to throw her fist, Uriel's eyes wide in fear, but she skid to a stop when Weiss dashed in front of her, arms out wide.

"Yang! Please, don't! I know what he said was disrespectful, but please…he's very stubborn, he's very rude, but he's very important to me! Please, don't hurt him," Weiss pleaded with Yang, her blue eyes locked with Yang's red ones. Yang's fist was barely an inch from Weiss' face, the heat from the flames enough to cause Weiss to break out into a sweat. The angel gulped as Yang stared down at her, but let out a sigh of relief when Yang lowered her arm. The scales slowly retreated from Yang's arm as she reached out and gripped Weiss' shoulder tightly, squeezing it gently.

Yang looked over at the still frozen Uriel. "Don't insult my brethren. _Ever._ Got it?"

Uriel nodded, regaining his composure as he straightened his uniform collar. He did a quick about-face, marching off towards the other angels situated around the one runic circle. Undine smirked, opening her mouth to say something, but Blake's elbow in her side stopped her. She turned to look at the shadow spirit, meeting amber eyes glaring at her. "Don't, Undine. Just don't." Undine rolled her eyes, waving Blake off dismissively as she slid over towards the spirit's circle. Blake took a deep breath, turning back to the other three.

"We'll need to be ready. As soon as the Displacement begins, the Grimm will know and react. They can break it if they get the chance to start their own ritual circle. We can't let that happen. As soon as the Displacement begins, we'll go through the gateway, it'll be attuned to the casino." Blake explained, mostly for Yang's benefit.

Yang nodded in understanding. She was pulled from her thoughts by a light touch on her arm. Glancing down, she found Weiss' pale hand wrapped around her wrist. The angel looked up at Yang, her cheeks pink. "T-Thank you Yang. For not, you know…breaking him or whatever it is you do. Thank you."

Yang blinked at Weiss, before letting a soft smile creep across her face. Carefully placing her other hand over top of Weiss', she nodded. "No problem. C'mon, let's get in position. I'm ready to find out what these Grimm are made of." Releasing Weiss' hand, Yang walked off towards the gateway to stand next to Blake.

Weiss stared after Yang for a moment, but a nudge in her side startled her. Jolting slightly, she glanced to her left to see Ruby, the demon girl winking at her as she nudged her in the side again, a wide grin on her face. Weiss huffed, planting her hand in Ruby's face and playfully shoving her away as she smirked. The demon girl sputtered as she stumbled back, lightly slapping Weiss on her arm in mock anger. The two smiled at each other, walking side by side to stand next to Yang and Blake.

"Are you ready?" Damian called from where he stood in the center of the demon circle. Ruby gave him a thumbs up, making him chuckle. He nodded gravely to Uriel and Undine, before lifting his arms and beginning his chant. The other ritual members followed along with him, voices lifting up in chorus with him. The runes began to glow, each circle sending streaming lights up into the air above. A scintillating cascade of colors began to coalesce together into one giant cloud, light particles winking in and out of existence as the voices chanted. Slowly, it expanded to cover the entire ceiling of the ritual room.

At the crescendo of the chant, all voices suddenly stopped. The light shrank back into itself rapidly, zipping back into one tiny iridescent speck of light. Silence flooded the room, not a sound to be heard, before the speck _exploded_. The entire room shook beneath their feet, as they felt themselves wrenched somewhere…else. The chanting began again in earnest, save Damian who shouted "Now!" before returning to his chant. The four women shared one glance, before diving into the pitch black of the portal.

* * *

Something about this felt off. Yang pivoted, spinning her arm up as she rammed her claws into the abdomen of some type of human Grimm. Lifting it up as its blood poured down from where her claws pierced its stomach, she threw it into the back of another to her left. She moved mechanically, almost robotically, as her mind wandered. From everything she had been told, this should have been much, much more difficult. True, she was a dragon, but she couldn't access even half of her full power in this form. She was closer to the other three in power than her dragon brethren. But this was too _easy_.

And what was with that symbol on Ruby's back? Yang ducked another swipe, snapping her arm out to grip the creature by the throat. Snapping its neck with nary a thought, she dropped it carelessly to her side. That symbol had been bugging her since she'd noticed it in that bathing device of Weiss'. She knew she recognized it, from somewhere. It was right there, on the tip of her tongue. Snarling, she let her frustration out by blowing a blast of flame straight down the throat of another creature, this one some strange serpent creature. She almost felt insulted by it…while it had the same type of scales she did, it was nothing compared to her true form!

A scythe blinked in front of her, cleaving through another monster. Ruby giggled at Yang, sticking her tongue out at her as she darted off to kill another after stealing Yang's kill. Yang narrowed her eyes at the demon girl, a slow grin spreading across her face as she shouted after Ruby. "If that's how you wanna play it Rubes, better make sure you don't cry when I beat you!"

Weiss slid by on a sheet of ice she flung out before her, her rapier dashing out and in so fast it was but a blur. Three Grimm collapsed atop a massive table covered in cards, bloody holes where their eyes had once been. She leapt up and over the reaching tentacles of some dark writhing mass, her wings spreading to full extent as she floated above it. Sending down another wave of ice and freezing it in place, she smirked confidently down at Yang. "Oh, it won't matter since _I'm_ going to come out on top!"

Weiss' smirk flew off her face as she ducked, a shadowy tendril flitting past her and wrapping around the throat of a humanoid Grimm. The Grimm was yanked off the balcony it had been standing on, crashing to the ground with a massive crunch as Blake arched an eyebrow at Weiss. "I don't know, ice queen, I believe I've got the high score right now."

Weiss growled at Blake, but giggled when Ruby appeared behind Blake and shoved her playfully in the back, making the spirit stumble. "Nu-uh Blake! I got the high score, I got everything in the back rooms already!"

"Hey, that's cheating Ruby, you're using your magic to get to places we haven't even reached yet!" Yang exclaimed, the smile on her face belying the annoyed words.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang. "You guys are just too slow!" Giggling, she shot off again, rose petals floating gently in the air as she passed. Yang sighed, rolling her eyes as she slammed down another Grimm.

"Does anyone else feel like this is too easy?" Blake asked, unintentionally voicing Yang's thoughts.

"…you too?" Weiss asked, letting herself drop to the floor. All the Grimm near them were smoldering corpses on the ground, their bodies dissipating into the aether. The occasional sound of a scythe slicing through something came from where Ruby had disappeared off too, but even that sound seemed to be fading as Ruby was running out of targets. The red devil appeared by their side once more, lightly panting as she bent over, resting her hands on her knees.

"Yeah this is not what I expected when you guys told me about these Grimm. I don't see how they could give you so much trouble," Yang replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ruby shrugged. "These are small fry. Little animal spirits they corrupted or something. The dangerous ones are the ones that come from powerful demons, angels, or stronger spirits. I thought there would be more of those here."

"That's because there are, huntress," came a voice from above them. Looking up, a tall man with pure black eyes stood atop the balcony from the second floor, arms crossed over his chest as he smirked down at them. "While your presence is…unexpected, it is not unwelcome. This is the perfect chance to see how our latest attempts have gone. Children, let's greet the huntresses, shall we?" Holding his arms above his head, his smirk disappeared as black slime flung outward to cover his form. Black, rotting wings burst from his back as his face melted into a hideous parody of an angels, mouth wide open and cackling.

More figures erupted from the slime that had flung everywhere, surrounding the four. A demonic creature with wide, grinning teeth and bat-like wings being flung out. Its sharp barbed tail whipped out and slammed into one of the card tables, shattering it. Behind them, between them and the door, a massive plant creature formed. Black roots flung out as its trunk grew upward, the center of its back splitting open to reveal a massive mouth with rows upon rows of teeth. It screeched at the four, black slime drooling from its mouth.

The four women stared, mouths agape as more and more began to form from the slime, creatures from the darkest depths of any nightmare. They stood back to back, facing four different directions, weapons at the ready. Ruby took a deep breath. "Well…we did say it was too easy."

"Next time, let's keep our mouths shut, shall we?" Weiss replied, an icy chill forming around her as she began channeling her magic. Yang chuckled as her fire began to spiral around her once more, steam escaping her mouth. Blake rolled her eyes, letting her shadows begin to swarm, holding her blade at the ready. Ruby shrugged, eyes narrowing as she smiled.

"Let's go."

* * *

It felt like they had been fighting for hours at this point, although it could barely have been more than a few minutes. These creatures were nothing like the previous ones. They were smart, powerful, but most of all that slime was both sticky and acidic. The four women had avoided being hit by a major gust of it, but tiny marks scored all of them already where small droplets had landed on them. Ruby had darted off into the back, trying to sneak around and attack from angles the enemy wasn't expecting, as Yang, Blake, and Weiss took care of the main force in the foyer of the casino.

Yang slammed into the massive plant Grimm, grunting as she poured her flames into her hands, setting it on fire. Seeing it stumble away in pain, screaming, she allowed herself a brief moment to cheer herself on. Looking around for her next target, she happened to glance towards the bar in the back. The Grimm angel from before stood there, hand outstretched, a swirling ball of black slime forming. With a hideous grin, he flung out, straight towards the distracted Weiss. Yang's eyes widened as she ran towards the angel. " _Weiss! Move!_ " she screamed. Weiss turned her head to look at Yang, puzzlement in her eyes, never noticing the approaching black ball.

An agonizing scream pierced the sounds of battle around them as it slammed into the back of Weiss, splattering upon her skin and wings. Weiss arched forward, eyes wide, as the acid began eating away at her flesh and feathers. Yang dove on top of her, erupting her flames into her hands as she began clawing away at the acid, ripping it off her back as quickly as she could, letting her flames burn it away. She knew it hurt Weiss more, but she couldn't let it stay on her back. Weiss bucked beneath her, screaming incoherently as it continued to melt her skin. Her wings were covered in black slime, holes beginning to appear where it ate clear through her feathers.

Yang noticed as Blake leapt above them, her shadow magic spiraling out and shoving the approaching enemies back. Luckily, they had managed to either injure or kill most of the new Grimm, so it wasn't too difficult, but Blake's concentration was impacted every time she heard Weiss cry out again. She saw the tree approaching again, but before she could move to intercept it a flashing scythe flung out and carved through it. Blake sighed in relief when she saw Ruby step forward. Ruby raised one hand in a greeting, but Weiss let out another scream at that very moment.

Ruby's eyes were instantly locked on the sight of Weiss on the ground, screaming and crying as Yang kept ripping at the acid. Most of it was off, but the blackened skin and holes in her wings were still there. Ruby was frozen in place, her vision narrowing down until it was nothing but the sight of Weiss, face-down on the ground. Not a sound could pierce the sudden inrush of blood in her ears, a whining white noise eating away at her thoughts as she stood. She didn't notice as the Grimm angel brought his arm up again. She didn't notice Blake's cry of warning. She didn't notice as another rotting ball of black slime came flying in her direction. The only thing Ruby could see was Weiss. The now very still, very silent Weiss.

Ruby made no sound as the slime hit her. The ball was many times as large as the one that hit Weiss, Ruby's entire form being swallowed up in nothing but black slime. Blake dropped to her knees, hands clasped over her mouth in horror as she stared at the pile of slime that had been Ruby Rose. Yang's eyes were watering with tears, but they were vaporizing into steam as soon as they came into being, her anger boiling over. Weiss managed to lift her head slightly, tears still trailing down her cheeks as she had tried to retake control over her pain. But all she could see was the massive black ooze.

The Grimm angel's mocking laughter could be heard as he strolled out, standing beside the ooze and grinning down at the three women. "Well, well well well…seems it works wonders, wouldn't you agree?" Yang clenched her fist, reaching down to clamber to her feet, but a massive explosion knocked her and Blake backwards.

Blake shook her head to clear it, looking up, to find the Grimm angel impaled on a huge black spear. He struggled, gasping as he tried to speak, but a blur of red ripped his head off, leaving just his smoldering corpse falling off the spear. Blake followed the spear to its origin with wide eyes, joy coming to her face when she saw Ruby, the demon's back turned to them, standing hale and healthy. Her clothing was ripped and tattered, burnt and torn by the acid, but her skin seemed unblemished. In her right hand she held the black spear she had impaled the Grimm angel on, as the scythe she held in her left seemed to have sprouted a second blade on the other side. Blake opened her mouth to call out to Ruby, but Yang darted forward, taking a defensive stance in front of Blake. Blake, confused, grabbed Yang by the arm. "Yang? What's wrong?"

Yang pointed at Ruby's back, right between her wings. Blake followed the line of Yang's finger, eyes going wide as she realized that the strange wolf birthmark Ruby had was glowing, purple lightning arcing across it as its eyes burned a hazy red. Blake turned questioning eyes on Yang, who dropped her head in shame. "I'm so _stupid!_ I knew I recognized that emblem! I knew it! I fucking knew it!"

Weiss shoved herself onto her knees shakily, hissing in pain as she tried to move. Blake dropped beside her, carefully wrapping her arms around Weiss' shoulder, cooing softly at her. Weiss bit her lip, before looking up at Yang. "W-What is it? What's wrong with Ruby?"

Purple lightning exploded out from Ruby, scattering into tables and chairs, ripping them apart. Grimm dove out of the way, but those too slow were electrocuted, their forms illuminated as the lightning began ripping them apart. A cry of rage burst from Ruby's form, her voice deeper and echoing, before she burst into motion. Rose petals, burning into ash as soon as they formed from the lightning arcing around Ruby, flew out as she ripped around the room, cutting and slashing into everything she saw.

Yang took a deep breath, not letting her guard drop. "A curse. Ruby's been cursed."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. Sorry this one took so long, work's really been wrecking me! It's a slightly longer chapter than normal, but I'm sure you're not complaining! I sure hope you guys like how this one goes...we have some angst, some fluff, some weirdness, and well...I'll let the chapter speak for itself. I hope you enjoy!

" _Cursed?!"_ Weiss and Blake cried in unison. Weiss tried to stand up, but she collapsed back onto her knees as the pain shot through her again. Blake supported her from the side, gently rubbing Weiss' back as the two gazed up at Yang. Yang's eyes were locked on the destructive tornado that was Ruby, her expression grim.

"Cursed," Yang confirmed, her voice low and steady. Ruby dashed past, her cries of rage slipping into crazed giggles as she smashed her scythe through the staircase. Plunging her scythe into the chest of one of the remaining monstrous Grimm, she cackled madly as she lifted the Grimm into the air. Impaled on her spear, it could only wriggle feebly, before Ruby flung it towards the back of the casino. Petals flared behind her as she dashed after it, instantly burning in the air from the crackling lightning spiraling around her.

"What curse is it?" Blake asked Yang desperately.

"Each species represents some aspect of creation, a niche if you will. We dragons are native to the Material Plane, did you know that? We're why humans don't use magic…we _are_ the magic of the Material Plane. We gave them magic originally, and we took it away when we decided to let man progress on their own without our interference. We represent magic in its purest, rawest form. Human's represent progression. Angels are order, law, and structure. Spirits represent fluidity and uniqueness. Demons though…demons are chaos incarnate. But for some reason, Chaos was never correctly balanced with the rest. There was always too much chaos in the Abyss…so sometimes, all that extra chaotic energy pools together, and you get…this. Triggered most often when someone the victim loves is hurt, all that emotion sets off the curse." Weiss' eyes went wide.

Blake's voice was worried as she shifted Weiss slightly so she could better support her. "What's going to happen to her?"

Yang shook her head slowly. "If we don't stop the curse, she'll be consumed by it. That much raw, unfiltered chaos will…well, I'd say drive her insane, but you need a mind to have it go insane. She'll lose her mind, and then her soul. She'll be consumed by it until nothing is left but an empty shell. And that shell will become a tidal wave of destruction. She'll annihilate everything in her path, until someone puts her down. By that time though, she won't be Ruby. She'll just be…nothing."

Weiss gasped. "Well, how do we-"Weiss was interrupted by a couch racking her form. Blake pat Weiss' back gently, pulling her long hair away from her face. Weiss gulped, gaining control over the coughs. "How do we stop it?"

Yang's head dropped as her clenched fists fell to her side. "I…I don't know," she whispered. "We never knew. We tried, but we never figured out how to remove it. It happens so rarely, and it's not like we can study someone in the throes of it. It used to be the problem that vexed Star the most. But she never could figure it out…none of us could."

"Why Ruby? Why her? It shouldn't be Ruby! She doesn't deserve this!" Blake cried out, flinching as Ruby's cacophonic cries and laughter hit her sensitive ears again.

"The happier and more helpful a demon is, the more likely it is to be them who is born with the mark. It's almost like a cosmic balancing act of some kind…a cruel and merciless one."

Weiss reached forward with effort, her hand grasping onto Yang's leg for a moment before her grip faltered. Yang glanced worriedly down at Weiss, red eyes locking with blue. "What about your power? You're a dragon! You can remove it, can't you?"

Yang shook her head slowly. "If I knew how, I'd have done it a long time ago. We never figured out how, none of us. I'd do anything if it would help Ruby, if only I could do something… We always had to…put them down."

"Fire. Use your fire," Weiss said firmly. Blake gaped at her as Yang's eyes widened.

" _What?_ I don't want to hurt her more than she is! How in the hell would burning her alive help her?"

Weiss shook her head rapidly at Yang, flinching as her wounds stretched. "Fire isn't only destruction. Fire can cleanse. Fire can purify. Elemental magic can be used to heal too, and you said it yourself…you _are_ magic. You're the Sun Dragon, master of the purest flame of any species. You can save Ruby! I know you can Yang!" Weiss gazed up pleadingly at Yang, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes.

Yang backed away a step, shaking her head. "N-No! I can't! I could kill Ruby if I tried!"

"Is that really worse than what she's going through now?" Blake asked, flinging her arm out towards the red blur that had just smashed through a bank of slot machines. "Is it, Yang? Maybe we haven't known Ruby that long, but we all know she'd hate this! She'd rather die than be like this! It's a chance Yang, a chance we didn't have before. Please, Yang…we believe in you."

Yang stared down at the two, both women looking up at her beseechingly. She tried to speak but she couldn't find her voice. Weiss nodded up at her, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Please. Yang, please. Save Ruby. Just try!"

Yang took a deep, shuddering breath. "Alright." Yang began striding away from the two women, closing her eyes as she drew upon what made her the Sun Dragon. Feeling the flame within her burning, she lit the spark that was tied to her very essence. Heat blazed through her, her blood bursting into flame as she let it join with her very soul. _'Cleanse, control. Cleanse, control. Burn only the curse. Only the curse. Cleanse, control.'_ Yang chanted to herself as she marched towards Ruby, the demon woman babbling incoherently as she repeatedly stabbed a slot machine.

Yang felt the fire within her shift, felt it _changing_ as she willed it to follow her commands. The flames that burned bright gold morphed, white and blue flickering around her as her eyes opened. Her hair a golden halo surrounded by blue sparks and white flame as she stopped only a few feet behind Ruby. The cursed girl spun about at the sudden increase in heat, a manic grin stretched across her twitching face. Muscles spasmed throughout her face as her eyes rolled in separate directions. Her lips, covered in blood from her elongated fangs piercing them, kept spewing a random stream of profanities, incoherent sounds, and insane laughter. As her head twitched to the side repeatedly, she raised the black spear in her right hand.

Yang barely uttered a sound when Ruby blurred forward, the spear impaling Yang clean through the abdomen. Weiss and Blake gasped in alarm as blue flames flickered out of the wound. Yang's blood began to flow freely, quickly staining her shirt, but the dragon gave no indication of pain. With a blank expression, Yang gripped onto the haft of the spear and pulled it further into herself, dragging Ruby forward. The cursed woman didn't have the presence of mind to let go of the spear, and found herself quickly within arm's reach of the dragon.

Yang's other hand grabbed Ruby's left arm, keeping her scythe at bay as the hand gripping the spear snapped behind Ruby's head, gripping onto the back of her skull tightly. Her dragon claws barely dug into Ruby's skull as lilac eyes stared down the babbling demon. " _I'm sorry,_ " Yang whispered, before dragging Ruby's face forward to her own. Weiss stared wide-eyed at the two, as Blake's jaw dropped in shock.

Their lips smashed together, and for one brief moment Yang forgot what she was trying to do. She forgot the pain, forgot the flames flickering, forgot the curse Ruby was under. She only thought of the soft lips pressed against her own, a faint taste of some sweet fruit lingering on her lips. The demon girl moaned against Yang's lips, opening her mouth to invite Yang in, reminding Yang of what she intended to do. Yang _breathed_.

Flames flew out of her mouth and into Ruby, pouring down through her throat and screaming throughout the demon girl's body. Her back arched as the flames blazed within her, eyes wide and clear for a brief moment as pain overrode all prior concerns. The blue-white flames whipped up into a column of light, surrounding the two women and incinerating everything near them. Ruby's body bucked and writhed, muffled screams pouring from her lips as Yang squeezed her eyes shut. Tears trailed out of Yang's eyes, but she held on, pouring her fire and her magic straight from her soul into Ruby. _'Cleanse. Cleanse. Cleanse. Cleanse.'_ Yang's chant repeated in her mind as she willed the fire to obey her, willed it to bring Ruby back to them.

Ruby's limp body slumped against Yang's, the black spear dissipating into nothingness as her scythe fell from nerveless hands. The flames died out as Yang released the bruising hold she had on Ruby, gasping as she caught Ruby before she fell to the ground. Ignoring the gaping wound in her side, Yang slowly lowered Ruby to the ground. Weiss stumbled over, Blake supporting her with an arm over her shoulder as they tried to get closer.

Yang held Ruby in her arms, shaking her slightly, a quaver in her voice. "Ruby? Ruby, wake up. Ruby, c'mon, wake up. Please Ruby!"

Blake touched Yang on the shoulder, kneeling next to her. "Yang?"

Yang looked up at Blake, tears still trailing down her cheeks. "She's not breathing…she can't die on us like this. She has to wake up. She has to. Ruby, _wake up!"_ Yang's scream startled Weiss, the angel silently sitting by Ruby's head. Weiss brushed her hand over Ruby's hair, shoulders and hands shaking as she tried to straighten it. Blake bowed her head, sniffling, holding one of Ruby's hands in her own. Yang hugged Ruby to her chest, heart-wrenching sobs ripped from her vocal chords. "I killed her…" Yang whispered, voice flooded with guilt.

Blake shook her head rapidly, grabbing onto Yang's hand with her free one. "No! You tried to save her. This is a better fate than what else awaited her…isn't it?" Blake's voice was desperate as she replied, beseeching someone to tell her she was right. Weiss didn't make a sound, just aimlessly brushed Ruby's hair back again, hands repeating the same motion over and over, a vacant expression in her eyes.

A cough from Yang's arms interrupted the three, and with hope leaping into their throats, they glanced down to see Ruby's chest expand as she breathed. A racking cough shook the demon girl's form for a second, before blurred silver eyes opened up to lock eyes with the three above her. A tiny smile spread across her face as she spoke in a raspy voice "That…wasn't how I expected my first kiss to go."

Yang made a sound that was half laugh, half choked sob as she dipped her head down and kissed Ruby's forehead. Weiss giggled tiredly, sighing as she repositioned herself. With a hiss of pain, she managed to lean back next to Ruby's form, supporting herself with one arm as she ran her fingers through Ruby's hair again, just reassuring herself Ruby was ok. Ruby squeezed the hand Blake was holding, entwining their fingers as she reached up and grabbed Weiss' hand that was stroking through her hair. Gripping Weiss' hand tightly, she smiled and brought it to her lips, kissing her palm lightly. Weiss' eyes widened as pink made its way onto her cheeks, glancing away from the three and Yang's knowing grin.

"I'm glad you're ok, Weiss."

Weiss squeezed Ruby's hand in reply, letting her gaze trail back onto Ruby's form. "I'm glad you're ok too, dunce."

Blake glanced over at Yang, eyes widening in shock as the red spot on her shirt was still expanding. " _Yang!_ Yang, your side!" Quickly, the other two women looked up, seeing the forgotten injury still there. Ruby gasped in horror, eyes wide as she remembered how Yang got that. Guilt began to creep over her expression as Weiss quickly moved next to Yang, worry on her face.

Yang grinned tightly, waving the three off. "It'll be fine. Dragon's heal fast. Don't worry guys, it's already started closing. Just gotta take it easy for a day or two, I'll be fine."

"But…doesn't it hurt?" Ruby's voice was small as she looked up at Yang.

"Nah, not really. I've been hit by much worse, trust me. You think this is bad, you should see what happens when dragons have family dinners. You think your fights are bad? You shoulda seen what happened when Star and Twilight got into an argument about which is the strongest elemental magic. Or there was the time Noon and me played a prank on Midnight…oh she was _not_ a happy dragon. Oh, oh, and never _ever_ wake Dawn up when she's napping. She is one grumpy dragon when she hasn't slept!" Yang's giggles as she remembered her past were infectious, the other three women chuckling along with her.

"Let's get some medical attention, ok? I'm going to call Undine…we're done here," Blake said.

* * *

Yang sat carefully on a hospital bed, shirt off as a tall, handsome man with dark slicked back hair poked and prodded her side. He nodded abruptly, turning to a woman in a nurses uniform standing in the doorway. "Well, Black, she appears to be healing well. Must be the dragon physiology. Speaking of which, it is an honor to meet you, Sun Dragon." He bowed before Yang, Yang a little uneasy at being spoken to that way.

"Uh…thanks, Doctor Tepes. And thanks for checking on us."

He chuckled. "It is no problem. That's why we have this hospital. But please, call me Vlad, everyone does." He turned back around to Black, nodding at her. "You can tell your huntress she can come in now. I'm going to go check on the angel and demon real quick."

Black nodded, and as the doctor left the room, she stuck her head out and hollered. "Yo, Blakey, get your ass in here will ya? Your friend's all well and dandy and shirtless…you sure know how to pick em!" Yang's jaw dropped as Blake burst in, the spirit's shoulder's hunched as she glared at Black.

"Black! That's inappropriate!"

"Pshaw. What do I care, we're in our hospital. No one gives a damn what I say or do anyways. Besides, look at her! That is one _fine_ specimen, don't you think so?"

Blake shoved Blake in the shoulder, her face burning as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. Black chuckled, before looking back to Yang, her expression shifting to a more professional one. "Seriously, how are you feeling?"

Yang rolled her shoulders for a moment, clenching and uncleaning her fists. Patting her abdomen where the hole was, she smiled. "I think I'll be just fine. But uh…can I ask you something?" Black cocked her head at Yang, nodding. "How are there so many simulacrums around? You guys are like…everywhere!"

Black laughed. "Well, not everyone who works here is a simulacrum. Dr. Tepes is a vamp actually. He likes to say his sharp nose for blood makes him the foremost expert in diagnosing blood related diseases. But I get what ya mean. You gotta understand, Grimm congregate where the most humans live…bigger the city, the more Grimm you get. The more Grimm you get, the more hunters you get. Ninety percent of hunters work in the ten largest cities humans have. So more simulacrums! I'd say like me, but no one is like me! I mean, look at this body Blakey was kind enough to give me…the Bellabooty is quite the sight to behold, am I right?" Black spun about and wriggled her hips in Yang's face. Blake covered her face in her hands, the red visible even behind her fingers as she refused to look at either Yang or Black.

Yang gulped, eyes wide, before chuckling nervously. "Um…I-I think I should go check on Ruby and Weiss! Blake, why don't we go do that?" Yang tossed on her shirt, ignoring the pouting Black as she grabbed Blake by her arm and began bodily dragging her out of the room. Black winked at the two of them, guffawing loudly as she shrugged.

* * *

Weiss was up, standing by a sleeping Ruby's bed when Yang and Blake walked in. Weiss quickly gave Yang an once-over, before whispering. "How are you feeling, Yang?"

"I should be asking you that!"

Weiss shrugged, but her expression seemed oddly lax. "My back is fine now; the acid didn't go too deeply into it. Doctor Tepes is an expert at restorative magic it seems. He told me I was very lucky it didn't have a chance to go too deep…big risk of infection. That's all thanks to you, Yang. Thank you."

Yang ran her hand through her hair, a quick shiver running through her at the genuine warmth in Weiss' tone. Weiss slid herself between Yang and Blake, a blank smile on her face as she grabbed their hands and squeezed. The two taller women shared a confused glance over Weiss' head, before glancing down just in time to see Weiss giggle.

"Weiss? Are you…ok?" Blake asked hesitantly.

Weiss giggled again. "Humans have this thing called…what was it…dill ought did? I don't know. But Doctor Tepes said it was a 'painkiller'. It helps humans deal with pain! It also makes my head fuzzy. Woah!" Weiss suddenly leapt backward, staring at Blake with eyes wide open. Blake leaned away from her slightly as Yang cocked her head in confusion. "Blake! Did you know you have small triangular _ears_ on your head?!"

Yang snorted as she tried to muffle her laughter as Blake's face fell into a deadpan expression. "Yes, Weiss. I did notice the ears. I've had them my whole life."

Weiss giggled again, but suddenly turned to Yang, a serious expression on her face. "Hey! Yang! You sneaky dragon you! Why did you kiss Ruby? Huh? Huh?!"

"Um…I had to breathe the fire into her?"

"Oh. That's ok. But why don't I get a kiss? Or Blake! It's only fair if you kiss us too!" Weiss smiled brightly, latching onto Yang's arm as Blake's face went beet red.

Yang chuckled nervously to herself, subtly trying to pry the surprisingly strong grip Weiss had on her arm off. She wasn't sure she could really refuse Weiss right now, not with the way she was practically cuddling her arm and looking up at her with those wide, pleading blue eyes. She was saved having to answer by the door to the room opening and Doctor Tepes walking in, clipboard in hand. He glanced up at the three and arched an eyebrow, before narrowing his eyes at Weiss.

"Miss Schnee, you just had an extremely large dose of Dilaudid. You shouldn't be up and about right now!"

Weiss waved him off, haughtily sticking her nose in the air. "I'm fiiiiine. I'm just trying to get a kiss! Or ten! Tell her to give me a kiss doctor, that'll help me feel aaaaallll better!"

Doctor Tepes sighed. "She's high on a painkiller." At the blank looks the other two gave him, he elaborated. "A chemical that alters the mind of the imbiber. A drug, not unlike alcohol in a way. I'm sure you learned about drugs during training." Blake nodded, but Yang just blinked. Blake nudged Yang in the side and whispered 'tell you later.' Yang nodded, turning back to the doctor. "We've never been entirely sure of the side effects when another species is exposed…apparently, it creates amorous feelings in angels. I'll need to note this." He scribbled down on his clipboard, ignoring the slowly flushing Yang as Weiss nuzzled at her side. Blake snickered, but this brought Weiss' attention back to her.

Weiss glared at Blake, before grabbing her arm and dragging her closer, holding her arm captive next to Yang's. The angel was surprisingly strong, keeping a firm grasp on both of them as she began…humming? An amused voice rang out from behind them.

"Am I missing something?" The three women and doctor all glanced over to see a wide awake Ruby, smiling at them through blurred eyes as she yawned. Her yawn was cut off mid-yawn by a tackle hug from the angel in the group.

" _Ruby!_ Oh good you're awake! It's unfair you got to kiss Yang and I didn't, tell her to kiss me to! Oh, wait, that means I need to kiss you as well to be totally fair! Oh, but we can't leave Blake out! We should all kiss! A lot!" Weiss beamed at Ruby as the demon rocked back in shock, her jaw dropping as her eye twitched.

"Hmm…quite interesting effect. I'll need to keep this noted," Doctor Tepes' muttering was cut off by a knock at the door. Blake walked over and opened it, freezing in place as a figure entered.

Tall, with brilliant blonde hair, and a pair of dark black wings folded neatly on his back. His handsome, aristocratic face with brilliantly blue eyes had a small smile stamped across it, although it faded into a carefully neutral expression as he saw Blake and Weiss. Nodding once in acknowledgment at Blake, he slid past her, arms crossed behind his back. He glanced at Yang, nodding to her as well, before giving a half-bow. "Sun Dragon."

Yang held her head high, eyes narrowing as she met his blue eyes with her lilac ones. "Lucifer. It's been a long time."

"That is has, Yang. If you all would excuse me however, I need to have a word with my knight." Though his statement was phrased as a request, it was clearly a command. Yang drew in a deep breath, but a glance at Ruby's pleading eyes made her rethink replying angrily. She didn't want to get Ruby in trouble with her boss after all. Yang grabbed Weiss by the arm and pulled her along, the angel pouting as she was torn from Ruby's side. Doctor Tepes slipped out right behind them, with Blake on his heels, sharing a worried glance with Ruby.

As the door closed, Lucifer turned back to glance down at Ruby. He smiled softly at her, but the smile didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. "Hello, Ruby. I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. Although, I suspect you know of me well enough."

Ruby gulped, replying meekly. "L-Lord Lucifer. I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to see you either. Most hunters don't require any intervention from me. But after your recent exploits, well…I had to come and see. Not only have you been working very closely with an angel and a spirit, but you found and woke the Sun Dragon herself! To top that off, you managed to clear out a massive Grimm nest in the very center of one of the human's largest cities. Although I hear it was somewhat stressful for you." His tone was polite and non-judgmental, but for some reason Ruby shrank back into her bed. Something about this didn't feel right.

"Y-yes sir. There was an…incident."

"The curse. You were the inheritor. Not unexpected, all things considered. Your file shows you are normally a very noble and honorable warrior."

Ruby preened slightly at the praise from the highest authority amongst all demons. "Thank you sir!"

"Don't thank me. I said 'normally'. Ruby, you have caused us great dishonor." Ruby's jaw dropped, eyes wide, unable to process what he had said. She felt herself choking on her words, trying desperately to make a sound, but he didn't allow her to. "We demons pride ourselves on our honor, our loyalty. You betrayed that. You are consorting with angels _and_ spirits, and you don't even pretend like you are forced. You enjoy their company! And you even have made 'friends' with a dragon, the vilest of creatures. Twilight is the reason these Grimm exist to begin with, and Dawn is the one who started all of it. Not to mention being the inheritor of the worst curse known to demonkind! Though you had no control in getting it, you triggered it because the _angel_ was hurt. That means you cared for her. Disgusting." His face was contorted into a grimace of disgust as he stood, glaring down at Ruby from above.

"It gives me no joy to say this, Ruby Rose, but for the good of my people…you are banished from the Abyss. Your personal belongings have been sent to the apartment where your simulacrum lives. You may find your place in the Spirit Realm or here in the Material Plane, but if you return to the Abyss, do so knowing it is on pain of death…and I will personally handle it. Goodbye, Ruby. I expect we shall never meet again." With that, he spun about, marching towards the door and calmly disappearing through it, leaving Ruby lying in her bed, unable to move.

Very quietly, Ruby began to cry.

* * *

"The third phase has begun."

" _That poor, poor child. We feel horrible for putting her through this._ "

"We had to. We know we had to."

" **That doesn't mean we wanted to.** "

" **We all got no choice anymore. This is what we decided ta do.** "

"We do not have time to continue to debate this. We know this is our path. We must prepare for the third phase."

" _Do we know if it will go as we predicted?_ "

" ** _We have never been wrong before._** "

" _We must not forget what we have done. We must make amends._ "

"Someday, we will. That day is not today."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. New chapter, so much happens, I don't even know whats going on anymore! But some explanations come to light, some things may appear to almost be mirrored! Pay attention to the details my good readers, some things may not be as they appear! Or I could be messing with you...MWAHAHAHAHA!
> 
> Disclaimer-Don't own RWBY. Drat.

As soon as the three had left the room, Blake was nearly pounced upon by Undine. "Blake, Titania wishes to speak with you. She says it's urgent."

Blake raised an eyebrow at Undine questioningly. "And what could the queen of the fae want with me?"

Undine shrugged. "I have no idea, but she said she needed to speak to you. I don't think ignoring her is wise, she does rule over half of the Spirit World after all. And she technically is your boss, since she runs the hunters for the spirits."

"Yes, yes, I know, but she's never taken an interest in what I did before," Blake replied. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she glanced back at Yang and the strangely quiescent Weiss. "Well, you heard her. I need to contact Titania. I'll just use the Dreamspeaker ritual. We'll be back in a few minutes, I'm sure we can find a room for it." Blake and Undine moved off. Black, who had been nearby, gestured to a small room to the side for them to use.

"Weiss," came the voice of Uriel from behind Weiss and Yang. Weiss blinked, trying to clear her bleary eyes as she glanced up at Uriel. He stood tall, but a slight nervousness was betrayed whenever he glanced at Yang's imposing form standing next to Weiss. "Ehem. Commander Gabriel also needs to speak to you. I'll take you to him."

"Now hold up a minute! Miss Schnee isn't in her right mind, it can wait till the drug's worn off," Dr. Tepes voice was annoyed, glaring down at the angel before him.

Uriel shook his head slowly in negation. "Normally, I would agree with you doctor. I informed the Commander that she was still in treatment, but he was insistent she be brought before him immediately. He is aware of her condition though. And I'm certain he will treat her appropriately considering."

Dr. Tepes and Yang both narrowed their eyes at Uriel, the angel gulping as he pulled at the collar of his uniform. Before either could speak further, Weiss stepped forward, hands held up in a gesture for peace.

"It's ok. I'm ok. It's my responsibility to report to the Commander when called. I'll be fine. The drug's effects are fading anyways, I can feel it. I'll be back after this, ok?" Weiss looked up at Yang, eyes pleading her to understand.

Yang harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine! But if Gabriel gives you shit, you let me know, ok? It's been a long time since we spoke, but I'm sure he remembers the last time he upset my friends." Weiss nodded, smiling minutely at Yang, before turning back to Uriel.

"Let's go," was the only thing she said to him. He inclined his head towards her before making a swift about face and marching off, Weiss following a step behind him as the two headed towards the stairs.

Dr. Tepes shrugged at Yang, turning away as he moved towards the desk nearby to continue his normal work procedures. The door behind Yang slid open, revealing the blank countenance of Lucifer. He slid the door shut behind him and walked off without sparing Yang a glance, but Yang caught a glimpse of the tear stricken face of Ruby as the door slid shut. Eyes wide, the lavender filling with red, she growled deep in her throat as she dashed off after Lucifer. Snapping her arm out, she grabbed his forearm in hers and yanked, halting his progress as she spun him around to face her. "What did you say to her?!"

Lucifer slapped Yang's hand away, his blank expression becoming annoyed. "She disgraced her people. I merely informed her she was no longer welcome in the Abyss."

"You _what?!_ What the hell Lucy?!" Yang screamed in his face, drawing the eyes of the hospital staff, although none wanted to get near an angry dragon.

Lucifer snarled at Yang. " _You_ don't get to call me that! Nobody calls me that anymore! Not since she left us!"

Yang rocked back, eyes wide at the venom in his voice. She caught herself before she snapped at him again, opting to go for a different tactic. "C'mon…we've been friends a long time. You were Dawn's best friend-"

" _Friend_? Friend?! Aurora was more than my friend! She, Gabriel, Titania…we were more than friends. Far more. I loved her, as I loved Gabe, as I loved Tai, and they loved me. But what did she do Yang? Huh? What did she _do_?!" Lucifer stepped up to Yang, glaring in her face, practically nose to nose as he spoke, hurt in his eyes.

"She _left_ us. She just up and disappeared, leaving us broken and alone! And the rest of you just up and went to _sleep!_ You, Aurora, Krēsla, Luna, Nischa, Emini, Naleli…none of you stuck around! We trusted you, we thought you were there for us, and you all just _left us!_ Left us to muddle through on our own, abandoned us! What the hell did you dragons think would happen huh? Gabe hasn't spoken to me in centuries, and the last time Tai and I spoke she tried to set me on fire! And then _finally_ Krēsla wakes, and what does he do? Destroys half the world, slaughters hundreds of my people, forces us to sign a treaty, and disappears after! So keep your 'friend' card, I don't want it anymore. I'm done with angels, I'm done with spirits, and I'm more than done with dragons. Go to hell, Yang, and take that disgrace to her race with you." Lucifer spun about, nearly clipping Yang with his half-extended wings as he stomped off, his aura sparking around him.

Yang was frozen in place, eyes wide, all traces of red having vanished in the wake of his angry accusations. She hadn't known how deep Aurora's relationship with the three had been, but she had always known the four of them were a unit, almost as though it were destiny. But she had no idea that much pent up anger was within Lucifer after Dawn's disappearance. He was always the calmest of the four. But what kept her in place the most was the visible hurt in his eyes. Behind the anger, behind his calm visage he kept up at most times, he was in pain. Something had flickered in his eyes, something dark and deep within that Yang couldn't place her finger upon, but knew she had seen before.

A soft touch on her shoulder had her turning around to see Doctor Tepes with a sympathetic expression on his face. "Miss Yang, perhaps you should speak to your friend. I think she needs you right now."

Yang cleared her throat, nodding in reply. Striding over, she opened the door to the hospital room Ruby was in, quickly going to her side and wrapping her arms around the demon girl. Not trusting herself to speak, she just hugged her. Ruby had clearly been crying the entire time she was arguing with Lucifer, and with how loud they had been, Yang imagined she had heard the entire conversation. Yang sighed as she held Ruby, wondering how the other two were now.

* * *

Blake lifted up the cup, taking a deep breath before leaning back onto the chair Undine had set for her. Undine's worried eyes met Blake's own. "Blake, you sure you'll be ok?"

Blake waved Undine off. "Undine, I promise, whatever she says I'll be fine. I expect she just wants a report from a firsthand witness is all." Undine backed off, but she clearly seemed worried still. Blake tipped the cup to her lips and drank, almost instantly feeling herself being carried away by the spell as she lost consciousness, entering the world of dreams.

A green mist danced at the edges of her vision as she found herself walking through the halls, if you could call them that, of the Faerie Queen. Densely packed trees were on either side of her, so close together that no gaps could be seen, as a field of flowers spread before her in a riot of colors. The soft starlight of the world of spirits fell gently down from above, illuminating everything before her. At the far end, elevated above the floor and seated in a throne made of vines, was the Faerie Queen herself, Titania.

Glossy blue-black hair fell behind her in waves, eyes like two deep sapphires. Her pale skin shone in the starlight, with shimmering gossamer wings stretched behind her. Her smile was welcoming, but Blake felt it was forced as she stopped before the throne, craning her neck only slightly to look up upon Titania.

"Titania…you called?" Blake asked.

Titania's smile faded slightly as she looked down at Blake, arching an eyebrow. "Is that how you address your Queen?"

' _So it's going to be one of those meetings, huh?_ ' Blake thought to herself. Normally, she'd be more deferential, but she was exhausted, her emotions in a whirl, and anxious to get back to the others. With a start, she realized that the entire time, she'd been far more concerned about the other three women than she ever remembered being for any other being. Shaking her head slightly, she stood proudly as she responded. "You are the Faerie Queen…I'm not a fae. I'm here as a courtesy since you requested my presence."

Titania's expression twisted, a snarl overtaking her beautiful face for a moment before it smoothed back into a placid one. "No need to get defensive. I just wanted a report from you, if you'd oblige me. And to verify a few things. That's all Blake."

Blake shrugged. It wasn't like she expected anything different. She spent the next twenty minutes giving a full, concise report of what had happened, watching Titania's face very closely as she spoke. Though her face remained composed, something flickered in her eyes as she spoke. For the briefest of instants, Blake could have sworn she saw something black and sinuous writhing in her eyes, but it faded so quickly she felt she must have imagined it. When she finished, silence fell over the area as Titania sat back in her seat. She gazed down upon Blake, both hands placed calmly over her lap.

"Anything else?" Blake dared to ask. The Dreamspeaker ritual wouldn't hold much longer, and she knew she'd wake up back in the Material Plane shortly.

Titania leaned down slightly, looking Blake directly in the eyes. "Yes, actually…tell me, why did you work with the demon and the angel?"

Blake narrowed her eyes at Titania, not liking where this conversation was going. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters. Angels and demons are our natural enemies, you know that," Titania replied, her face twisting slightly.

"Natural enemies? What? We don't have natural enemies besides the Grimm!" Blake replied incredulously.

Titania's eye twitch became more pronounced as she stood, looming over Blake. "This proves it. You are far too gone to see reason."

" _What_ reason?! You haven't even said anything reasonable!"

"I will not argue with a lowly shadow spirit like you!" Titania spat at Blake, the spirit rocking back in shock at the words Titania used. "Get out of my world, and _never_ return! You don't belong amongst the true spirits! I should have known better than to expect anything useful out of a filthy mongrel like you!"

Blake shook in anger, glaring at Titania. "You're not my queen, you don't own me, you can't banish me from my home!"

"I can banish you from my kingdom! I control fully half of this world, and you will not step foot in a single part of my kingdom! If you do, you will face dire and deadly consequences! Now get _out!_ " With a slapping motion of her hand, Titania sent a wave of magical energy at Blake, smashing into her dream form. The wave threw her back to her body, racking pains blowing through her as the magical energy lit all her nerves on fire. Blake gasped, sitting up from the seat she was in, clenching her eyes shut as she hissed in pain.

"Blake? Blake, what happened? Are you ok? Blake, speak to me!" Undine's pleading voice broke through Blake's pain, making her open her eyes, flinching as she did so. Blake took a couple deep breaths, letting the magical echo of pain fade as she looked into the worried visage of the water spirit.

"Titania didn't appreciate my friendship with the others," Blake deadpanned. Undine cocked her head in confusion at Blake. Blake sighed, continuing her explanation. "She banned me from her kingdom and tossed me out of the dreaming realm."

" _What?!_ That's impossible! That…that's not right! She can't do that! Something must be wrong, Titania would never-"

"Undine…you know she would. She's always hated angels and demons."

"Yes, but she never went this far! She doesn't banish people! I'll…I'll talk to her! I can-"

Blake cut Undine's flustered rant off. "You'll just make her angry at you. It's ok Undine. I'll be fine. She doesn't rule the entire Spirit World."

"Yes, but she rules over your home territory!"

"I'll just have to find somewhere else. If anything, I could always stay here…with the others." Blake glanced off to the side as she spoke, a pink sneaking into her cheeks.

Undine frowned at Blake, narrowing her eyes. "You mean the angel, demon, and dragon?" Blake rolled her eyes at Undine, nodding exasperatedly. Undine took Blake's hand, lowering her voice as though she was afraid of being overheard. "Blake…you're blushing. Are you not telling me something?"

Blake ducked her head, glancing at the door to be sure it was securely locked. Looking around furtively, she lowered her voice further. "I…I don't know. I haven't felt this way before. But I-I really enjoy spending time with them. That's not wrong…is it?"

Undine sighed deeply. "Ugh…I see where this is going. I think you're nuts, Blake...but you know I'll always be by your side. You're still one of my best friends you know! I'm going to talk to Titania. Just, be careful, ok?"

Blake nodded at Undine, squeezing her watery hand slightly as she gave a tiny smile. "You too, Undine."

Undine nodded in return. "I have to get going anyways. I'll see you later, Blake." Blake watched as Undine closed her eyes, her watery form dispersing into nothingness and she reverted back to her home plane. Blake sniffled to herself, wrapping her arms around her body as Undine left. She didn't want Undine to see how upset she was. The thought of not being able to go back to her home, to see her little hut she'd built with her own hands, to not be able to dance around with the pixies in her favorite forest…something deep within her ached, a throbbing pain in her chest as she curled in on herself. That was her home…she grew up there, and Titania just threw her out. Blake sat in the chair, in the darkened room, and wept as she felt her heart break.

* * *

"Weiss, are you sure you're ok?" Uriel asked, his firm voice questioning.

"Yes, Uriel, I promise. That human drug wore off, I'm fine now."

"I'm not talking about your mind. I saw the condition you were in when you came to the human hospital, and you are wincing as we walk."

Weiss cursed herself. She had thought she had kept her motions subtle enough he wouldn't notice. "I'm _fine_ , Uriel. Besides, I can't keep the Commander waiting."

Uriel sighed, stopping by the grand double doors standing before them. "I suppose not. I'll wait for you here." Weiss nodded as Uriel shoved the two doors open. Standing straight, she placed her hands behind her back and adopted a rigid posture. Marching through the doors, she stepped firmly upon the deep red carpet leading her forward. Massive fluted marble columns reached up around her, going further up than her eyes could see. White light shone brilliantly from all around her, blinding to anyone but an angel with how brightly it shone. At the end of the hallway, seated at the end of a massive oval table, was the commander himself.

His black hair short and neatly trimmed, his six white wings flexing independently as he scribbled something down on a pad before him. At the sound of Weiss' heels clicking sharply as she came to a stop and saluted, he looked up, a grim expression on his dark-skinned face. "Weiss. I'm going to make this brief. I've reviewed the records we have on this incident."

Weiss took a deep breath, keeping her posture perfect as she kept her eyes level at the wall. "Yes sir?"

"Per the report, I have discerned no less than a dozen infractions. You allowed a demon to interfere with a hunt. You joined up with said demon to investigate further, along with a spirit. You went to the demon's human world domicile willingly. You went on an unsanctioned expedition to the Spirit World, in company of both the demon and the spirit. You woke the Sun Dragon and allowed her to join your little group. You returned to the human world and spent free time with the three. You allowed them to visit your human world domicile. You took a _bath_ together. You interfered with a legitimate complaint Uriel was lodging against the representatives of the demon and spirit ritualists. You fought as a _team_ against the Grimm during the Displacement. You were injured due to being careless. And you attempted to help the demon after she was taken by a curse. How do you justify any of this?"

Weiss gulped, but let her voice remain steady. "The results justify my actions."

Gabriel made a contemplative sound. "I cannot deny the effectiveness of the mission, that is true. However, it does not excuse your flagrant violations of protocol. You should have requested assistance from our strike teams, not assisted the demon or spirit. In light of your success however, I will suspend any punitive action, as long as you do one thing."

"Yes, sir. What is that, sir?"

Gabriel stood, making his way over to look Weiss directly in the eye as he towered above her short frame, his shadow. Standing a mere foot apart from her, he spoke in a deadly whisper. "You give me your word you will _never_ speak to that demon, spirit, or dragon again."

Weiss mouth dropped open, gaping at him. "B-but sir, we were effective, you just said-"

Gabriel's composure dropped for a brief second, a tiny snarl crossing his face as his teeth became visible in the light. Something flashed in his eyes, some deep darkness flitting across his piercing green eyes, though Weiss wondered if it was a trick of the light as it disappeared nearly instantly. " _Silence!_ You will speak when spoken to! Demons, spirits, dragons…they are all beneath us! They are not worthy of us! You will not associate with such rabble again, or I swear you will regret it! Now, give me your word, angel!"

Weiss closed her eyes briefly for a moment, before opening them and replying calmly. "Yes, sir. I give you my word."

Gabriel seemed to search her face for a moment, looking for any sign of deception, before nodding. "Very well. You are dismissed."

Weiss made a determined about face and began her long march back out of the room. She kept her composure on the outside, but inside she felt her mind was a mess. For the first time in her existence, ever since she came into being…she had lied.

* * *

Damian waltzed into Ruby's hospital room, a smile on his face that instantly faded as he saw Ruby crying in Yang's arms. Eyes wide, he dashed forward, nearly shoving Yang off Ruby as he grabbed her softly. "Ruby? Ruby, what's wrong?" Getting no reply from her, he turned, glowering at Yang as he grabbed her shirt. "What did you do to her, dragon?!"

Yang threw his hands off angrily, pushing him away. "Why don't you ask your boss, huh? He banished Ruby from her home!"

Damian rocked back, mouth gaping in shock. He shook his head quickly. "N-no, that's impossible! Lord Lucifer would not do such a thing!"

Ruby's quiet voice rang out, muffled by Yang's arms as she snuggled into them. "It's true. He, he said I was a disgrace to demons, and I dishonored you, and-"her speech was cut off by another wave of tears. Yang glared at Damian, her own eyes suspiciously wet, as she held Ruby.

Damian closed his eyes, shaking for a moment, fists clenched at his side. "I…I can't believe it. Lord Lucifer, how…how could you…" He glanced between the two women once more as he took a deep breath. He looked back towards the door leading into the room, before marching over to the bed quietly. "I don't know what's going on, but I will get to the bottom of this. For now, we never had this conversation, you don't know where this came from, and I never gave this to you."

Yang blinked, surprised, as Damian handed her a large, triangular, deep purple scale. She held it in her hand, staring at it blankly for a moment, before her eyes widened and she gasped. Glancing rapidly between Damian and the scale, her mouth fluttered uselessly. Damian checked behind him again.

"I found it while we were cleaning up the mess at the casino. I'm supposed to bring that back to headquarters, but…well, I figure you'll want it. Something is going on, something I don't like. Undine was worried, and Uriel is being more of a dick than usual. I think he's covered for something. Lord Lucifer's behavior has been more erratic as of late. But I didn't tell you any of this, got it?" Damian locked eyes with Yang and Ruby in turn, accepting their nods. Nodding himself, he spun about, heading towards the door. He stopped right before it, turning back to look at Ruby. "I'll figure this out, I promise Ruby. If you need me, call…I'll always come to you." Ruby nodded at him, smiling slightly at Damian. The older demon bowed his head to Yang, before spiriting himself out the door.

As it closed, Ruby turned back to Yang, who was still staring blankly at the scale. "Yang? What is that?"

Yang jumped slightly, glancing down at Ruby. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she spoke, her voice low. "Twilight's scale. That's one of his scales. When dragon's die, our bodies dissipate, just like yours do. If his scale still exists, that means…"

Ruby gasped. "He's alive?"

Yang nodded grimly. "If he's alive…I need to find him."

* * *

"…"

"…"

" **…** "

" _So…did we just skip phase 4 entirely_?"

"Yep."

" **We weren't anticipating Gabriel would force Weiss' hand so soon.** "

" **We also dinnae think Damian would be ta one ta find the scale, much less give it to Yang** **.** "

" _Are we done tormenting those poor girls then_?"

"Not quite. Yang will go searching for Twilight. What she finds will not be pleasant."

" ** _We need to prepare. If Yang does what we expect, we need to be in position._** "

"We must wait first. The girls must gather, exchange information, and plan. We know they will. Then, we move."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah. We're getting really close to some big reveals guys, so stay tuned! Feel free to leave your guesses in the reviews, I love seeing the theories! XD And fair warning, the chapter can get a tiny bit steamy at some point.
> 
> Disclaimer-Don't own RWBY, sigh.

Yang looked up as the door to the hospital room slid open, Blake carefully stepping through. The spirit smiled at the two, but Yang just narrowed her eyes, arm over Ruby's shoulder. "Don't play games. Your eyes are still red. What happened?"

Blake sighed, dropping the smile. "Titania doesn't appreciate our relati-friendship. She banished me from her kingdom. Doesn't mean I can't go to the Spirit World, she doesn't rule over all of it, but…my home is in one of her territories."

"Lucifer kicked me out too. Can't go back to the Abyss at all," Ruby replied, sniffling. She was no longer crying, but she looked defeated as she sat in the bed dejectedly. Blake hung her head. She thought she had it bad, but at least she could return to the Spirit World. It didn't seem like Ruby could.

"Well…you can come live with me, once I figure out where my new home will be. It's not the Abyss, but it's something," Blake offered, blushing lightly when both women's heads snapped over to stare at her offer. She glanced down to the floor, refusing to meet their eyes. Any response was cut off by the door opening once more, the slender figure of Weiss entering the room. She strode to the bed with her normal proud stance, but faltered when she saw the expressions on the other three women's faces.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked, clearing her throat slightly. Blake noticed Weiss' left hand was shaking slightly, but didn't call attention to it.

Yang shrugged. "Lucy and Tai are being assholes, that's what."

Ruby glanced up at Yang, blinking. "Lucy? You call Lord Lucifer _Lucy_?"

Blake arched an eyebrow. "And Tai? Really?"

"Sometimes I forget how young you three are," Yang replied, chuckling slightly. "Yes. I've always called them that. And Gabe, can't forget him." Weiss snorted slightly, hiding her face behind her hand when the three glanced at her undignified response. Yang continued. "Those three and Aurora were inseparable when they were younger."

"Wait, Aurora?" Blake asked, confused.

"Dawn. You know, like how my name is Yang but I'm the Sun Dragon? Same thing applies to us all. Sun, Dawn, Twilight, these are titles. Dawn is Aurora, Twilight is Krēsla, Moon is Luna, Star is Naleli, Noon is Emini, and Midnight is Nischa. Aurora, Gabriel, Lucifer, and Titania used to be a group. They were always together, all the time. I always had my suspicions they were more than what they said they were, but wasn't till today that was confirmed. Explains a lot, really..." Yang trailed off, peering down at the scale still resting in her hands.

Weiss followed Yang's eyes, before hers went wide. "Wait, is that..."

"Krēsla's scale. Yup. He's alive, somewhere. I need to find him."

Blake stepped forward. "Wait, but we have to plan first."

Yang lifted her eyes up, narrowed them at Blake. "We?"

"Yes, we. You didn't think you're getting rid of us that easily, did you?" Ruby asked, giving a half smile to Yang as she lay her head on Yang's shoulder. "Besides...it's not like I have anywhere else to go."

Blake nodded once at Ruby, but Weiss cocked her head in confusion. "What's that mean?"

"Lucifer and Titania have banished us," Blake explained.

Weiss slouched a little bit, a rueful smile on her face. "Well, I suppose that makes three of us. Or at least, I will be once they find out I'm here." The expressions on the other women's faces made it clear they expected her to elaborate. Weiss shrugged. "Gabriel made me swear I wouldn't go near you guys."

"But...you're near us now," Ruby pointed out.

"Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious, dolt." Weiss' smile took the sting from her words. "I lied." Weiss' proud stance faltered slightly as she said it out loud, her smile slipping a bit as her eyes widened a bit. "I...I lied. I've never lied before. It didn't hit me until now, I _lied!_ "

Before Weiss could lose her cool, Ruby grabbed her hand and yanked her closer, nearly making her stumble over Yang as the demon girl pulled. Half sprawled across Yang's lap, Weiss' face burned as Ruby smiled at her widely. "It's okay Weissy, we'll be here for you!"

Weiss took a deep breath, letting it out and smiling softly at Ruby, ignoring the awkward position she was in. Yang just smirked at the angel half-across her lap, before winking at Blake who rolled her eyes. Any further conversation was cut off by the sounds of running feet, before Uriel burst through the door, panting. His perfect hair was in disarray, eyes scanning the room worriedly before landing on Weiss. His eyes went wide at the sight, but he shook his head before dashing across the room and grabbing Weiss' hand.

"Weiss, come! We have to go, it's not safe here!" He tried to pull her away, but Weiss pulled her hand away from him, straightening herself up as she turned to face him, aghast.

"Calm down, Uriel! What in the world are you going on about?"

Uriel's response was cut off by a commotion at the door, revealing Damian and Undine practically shoving each other into the door frame as they tried to squeeze into the room at the same time. Undine seemed to win the contest, slipping into a pool of water on the floor before reforming as Damian's feet slid out from under him. He slammed down hard on his back, growling for a moment, before kipping up and rushing towards the group. Undine began babbling to Blake as Damian tried to pull Ruby up from the bed, Uriel still trying to grab at Weiss. As the three women tried to shake the others off, voices growing louder as they attempted to figure out what was going on, no one but Yang noticed the room growing much, much colder.

Shadows collected around the room, the lights growing dimmer as darkness crept into them. The door squealed as it shut, a dark figure creeping up on the group. Yang's eyes went wide, before she cringed into her shoulders, plugging her ears.

" _SILENCE!_ " came the explosive roar from Doctor Tepes, black tendrils whipping around him. His normally placid face was twitching, fangs extended and bared, his eyes having gone a pitch black as he glared at the group. "This is _my_ hospital and you three are disturbing _my_ patients! I will not stand for any more of your infighting and squabbling, this is a place of healing! If you have something important to say, say it _now_ and then be gone!"

Uriel, Undine, and Damian shrunk in on themselves, muttering apologies. Tepes sighed, closing his eyes as he drew his aura back inside himself, taking back on the appearance of his normal doctor form. Crossing his arms over his chest and frowning, he arched an eyebrow at the three, clearly telling them to get on with it. Uriel spun back around to Weiss, speaking urgently.

"Weiss, we need to get you somewhere safe. Gabriel has called for your execution!"

Weiss' eyes went wide as Yang, Blake, and Ruby's jaws dropped. "B-but why? What charge? What did I do? Does he know I'm here already?"

Uriel shook his head in negation. "No, and I'm not telling him. I don't know what is wrong with him, but this is wrong. We need to get you to safety, most of the officers are in an uproar. This isn't right, but he's already given the order!"

Damian looked at Uriel in shock. "Lucifer gave the same order for Ruby…it's led to riots in the streets, summary execution isn't something we have _ever_ done." The two men turned to look at Undine, who nodded as she turned to face Blake, voice quiet.

"Titania as well. Everything is going crazy right now. She's on the warpath, said something about bringing you down herself. I agree with Uriel, you need to get out of here."

"Splitting them up would do you no good. They'll be safer together. But they can't stay here…while I could protect my hospital from most if I had to, I cannot stop all three of them. It's not safe here. It's better if they stay together though, and honestly, if you three stayed away. Are you absolutely sure you weren't followed?" The doctor asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I know I wasn't, but its common knowledge where Ruby is. But you're right…we should leave, and quickly. If anyone is tailing us, they'll follow us, give them time to escape," Damian said, turning to Uriel and Undine.

"Hold on one moment, we can't use you as bait!" Ruby cried, struggling to get out of the bed, her legs still too weak to hold her. Yang kept her steady as she stood, glaring up at Damian. "You could get hurt if Lucifer thinks you're in on this!"

"Ruby's right. We can't ask you to do this," Blake said, reaching out to grab Undine's hand. The water spirit smiled at Blake, placing her other hand over Blake's and squeezing.

"You didn't ask. We're volunteering. Besides, whatever has driven them to this, they won't order a second punishment on us. You haven't seen what going on from the first orders…the entire kingdom is in disarray. And I'm assuming the same for the Abyss and the Celestial Realm." Damian and Uriel nodded in agreement when Undine paused. "Clearly, something has gone horribly wrong. We'll look into it, for now you _must_ leave."

Before they could argue more, Yang spoke up. "I know where we can go. It'll be safe from them, and not only that…we might get some answers."

Weiss glanced back at Yang, cocking her head slightly. "Answers?"

Yang nodded slowly, holding up Twilight's scale. "We're going to visit the Essences."

* * *

 

The four women sat in the back of the limousine, Yang still glaring at the doors as she sat in the exact middle, arms crossed over her abdomen. Ruby sat before her, with Blake and Weiss flanking her as they leaned in close to listen. The driver had already raised the privacy window, so they knew they had privacy.

"Alright, listen. What I'm about to tell you, only the Dragon's knew. This is something that we have kept to ourselves for millennia, although I suspect Lucy, Gabe, and Tai heard about it from Aurora. Ok, so…you know how your kinds reproduce, right?" Yang asked, inwardly smirking at how Ruby tittered while Weiss blushed. Blake rolled her eyes, elbowing Yang in the side.

"Yes, yes. Two or more lovers combine their essence, bring it to an artisan, and they craft a new member of our species. What's your point?"

"Well, you know that not _all_ of your kind come from that method. Some of you come into being like we dragons did, formed by the plane itself. It's very rare for it to happen for your species, but it has been known to happen."

Ruby perked up, wriggling in her seat as she smiled. "Yeah! I know, I was one of them! The first in centuries!"

Yang blinked at Ruby, jaw gaping. She gave a half chuckle as she rolled her eyes, sighing. "I should have known…"

"You too? I suppose that makes sense, you _are_ quite unique like I," Weiss said haughtily. Yang's eye twitched as she caught onto the implication, before she narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Blake who giggled sheepishly.

"Um…yeah. Me too."

Yang slammed her head into the back of the seat and stared upwards. "Well, that explains _so_ much. Ok, whatever, this works. Well, here's the point. Think about it. You three are fully formed huntresses, with a very strong innate grasp of specific magic's and an inborn talent for fighting, forming by the aether itself…do you think that was random?"

The blank expressions on the faces of the other three made Yang sigh again. "Well, it wasn't. Each realm has a soul of its own. We call them Essences. We dragons have known where they can be contacted since we were created by Gaia, the Essence of the Material Plane, but we never went there. We have no idea what they are like, or what they can do, but what we do know is that they know things. They often know things no one else knows. The only one of us to ever speak to them was Aurora, but she wouldn't tell us what they said."

"Are they dangerous?" Blake asked.

"I don't know. I don't know what we're walking into. I only know that I need answers, and that we need to keep on the move. I'm going to the cavern we dragons first came out from, and I'm going to try to talk to them. I'm not going to ask you to come in with me, but at least if you wait outside you should be safe for a little while. If I don't get out in-"

"Shush! We're going. Right, Weiss, Blake?" Ruby turned to the other two, who nodded along. Smiling at Yang, Ruby continued. "Maybe they know what's going on."

"It's worth asking," Weiss commented, shrugging her shoulders.

The sound of the privacy window rolling down interrupted them. The driver, a tall, blonde-haired simulacrum turned around. "Heya, so this is as private a spot as we're gonna get from 'ere Sun Dragon. You wanna do yer thing, now's the time."

Yang smiled at him, nodding. "Thanks Jay. You should get home." He tipped his hat at her as the four women exited the car, pulling away from them as they stood at the side of a lonely stretch of road next to a wide forest. Yang glanced both ways, before turning to the other three. "Alright, I'll set up a spell to make humans ignore me, and go into dragon form. You three can just climb on my back and hang on…I fly fast. Ok, in-"

"Wait!" Ruby cried out, waving her arms frantically. The other three looked at her, confused, as she shuffled her feet, hands clasped before her. "So…this could be dangerous, right?"

"Yeah…but you don't-"Yang began, but Ruby cut her off again.

"Shush! We're going, I'm just confirming something. So, this is dangerous, and we're being hunted for our lives and stuff, so that's dangerous too, and who knows where we go from here, right?"

"Yes…?" Yang questioned, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

Ruby took a deep breath, steeling herself for a second. "Ok, well…I'm not good at words, so. Here." In the blink of an eye, she blurred into motion, her magic taking effect. Three lips felt the briefest press of soft lips against their own, rose petals spinning about them. Blake's eyes went wide, Yang rocked back, and Weiss gasped, placing her fingers delicately against her lips. The three turned as one to stare at Ruby, who had flipped her hood up and was cowering off to the side, arms wrapped around her chest.

No one moved for a moment, before Yang let out a bark of laughter, startling the other three. She strode confidently over to Ruby, placing a hand gently under her chin and lifting her head up. Pulling the hood down, Yang smiled down at Ruby. "That's not much of a kiss. I think you can do much better, little Red. In fact, I think you owe us all a do-over." Yang chose that moment to dip down, pressing her lips firmly against Ruby's, wrapping one arm around the demon girl's waist as she felt Ruby sag against her, eyes fluttering closed. Releasing her lips after a few moments, Yang winked down at Ruby, the demon girl blushing bright red. Hoisting her up slightly, Yang shoved her gently in the back towards Weiss, the angel automatically catching the stumbling demon in her arms. "Well Ruby, next!"

Ruby looked up, locking eyes with Weiss, the angel's expression caught somewhere between fear and excitement. As Ruby straightened up, never letting her eyes lose sight of Weiss', she lost control when Weiss bit her lip slightly. She arrowed down, deciding to follow Yang's example as she pressed her lips tentatively against Weiss'. The angel threw her arms around Ruby's neck, pressing herself close against Ruby's form, a small moan escaping unbidden.

Yang winked at Blake, striding over and taking her hand. Blake, who had been staring blankly at Ruby for the past few moments, jumped startled, before looking up into Yang's lilac eyes. Yang grinned. "Well, can't let them have all the fun, can we?" Blake gulped, feeling that same strange sense of excitement rushing through her from when she had stripped for the other three. Nodding at Yang, she felt her mind go blank as heat rushed through her when Yang's lips slammed into hers. She felt a foreign feeling bubble up in her chest, a rumbling sound vibrating out of her that made Yang chuckle into her mouth. As Yang released her, she opened her eyes sleepily, seeing the lilac tinged with red. Yang smirked at her, before reaching one arm out to the side to snag a newly separated Weiss from Ruby.

Shoving Ruby into Blake, Yang quickly pulled Weiss against her, not giving the angel a moment to recover from the bliss Ruby's lips had brought her. Feeling the cool pressure of the angel's lips melt against her own, Yang almost let out a purr of her own as she felt Weiss practically mold against her. Her hands felt the silky smooth feathers of Weiss' wings from where they were placed on her back, and she ran her hands over the feathers slowly, feeling Weiss shudder in her arms.

Ruby hadn't wasted any time, gripping Blake's face gently between her hands and pressing her lips against Blake's. She slid her hands up and into Blake's hair, slowly sliding over the fur covered ears and caressing them gently. Blake froze in place, back arching into Ruby for a second before she relaxed against her. Their tails intertwined with each other as Blake ran her own hands through Ruby's short hair, pulling it slightly as she tried to pull her closer.

Yang released Weiss, grinning at how the angel was panting, eyes slightly glazed, before pulling Blake reluctantly away from Ruby. Winking at the giggling demon, Yang shoved the spirit and angel together, watching as they almost blindly reached out for one another. Pale hands slid into black hair as Blake's clawed fingers gripped tightly onto Weiss' hips, their bodies practically fused against each other. The two released one another, staring into each other's eyes for a moment before Yang's amused voice made them leap apart.

"Well, that was a thing. Right, ladies?" Yang winked at the three, enjoying how Weiss wouldn't meet her eyes and how Blake was blushing furiously. Ruby was giggling still, her eyes starry as she wriggled in happiness. Yang's smile faded slightly as her voice took on a more serious tone. "We need to talk about that, but not right now. Let's think about it, ok? We've got a flight to go on…so hop on." Without further words, Yang transformed in a roar of crimson flame, her massive form easily dwarfing the trees nearby. She carefully lowered herself down, making it easy for the three ladies to leap up onto her back. As soon as they secured themselves, she lifted up and with one great, powerful down thrust of her wings, she leapt into the air.

* * *

 

"The Essences…"

" **Well, this could be good, or bad.** "

" _They are the only ones we never could predict._ "

" **Aye, that's cause they be nuts!** "

" _They aren't nuts, just…different._ "

" _We remain concerned that they may not tell them enough._ "

" **If they tell them too much, it's just as bad.** "

"This part is out of our hands. Phase six is in play, we can only hope they play along. They know our plan. They know what we wish to do. They know that this plan will bring about the end. It is up to them now."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are! One of the biggest reveals left in the series, and so many hints I bet most of you will figure it out with this chapter alone, but I sure hope the ending at least gives you a bit of a start! Enjoy, as we begin to march ever closer to the truth, and the end of this world.
> 
> Disclaimer-I don't own any of RWBY...except all my posters.

Yang craned her neck around, peering down at the three much smaller looking women who were practically fused to her side. "Is something wrong?"

"It's f-freezing out here!" Weiss growled, wings wrapped around her as she leaned against Yang's heated side. "Where did you take us? And what's all this white stuff on the ground?" She glared down at the white powder packed beneath her feet, feeling the cold rise from it.

"Oh, this is a place the humans call 'Antarctica'. We dragon's came from here…well, somewhere below the snow and ice. You're standing on snow, its frozen water. Didn't they talk about that in your classes or something?"

Ruby, who was plastered face first into Yang's side, spoke, her voice muffled. "Yeah, but I didn't realize how cold it'd be!"

Yang chuckled slightly, closing her amethyst eyes and focusing. The fires that smoldered within her blazed to life, making her sides heat up exponentially. The snow around them began to melt immediately, but the other three women only sighed in happiness as it chased away the cold. "There, that better?"

"Much, thank you Yang," Blake responded, finally stretching her sore muscles. They had flown for nearly an entire day in the human world, and while it was great fun to watch the world below as Yang flew, sitting in the same position for hours on end was not the most comfortable thing. Although the view had been quite extraordinary, especially to Ruby and Weiss. Blake had seen similar variance in her world, but Ruby and Weiss had lived in planes where things tended towards certain set configurations.

Ruby's childlike wonder had not been a shock to anyone, but the wide grin on Weiss' face as she babbled on with Ruby had been quite adorable. Blake had shared a conspiratorial glance with Yang when the dragon had craned her neck back to check on her charges as they flew, and she knew Yang had been just as enchanted by their wonder as she had.

Blake had spent the first few hours of the flight in silence, still trying to fight off the goofy grin that wanted to cross her face. The four of them were in mortal danger, with assassin's after them, and still all she could think about was the feeling of three lips pressed against hers. Ruby's hesitant, sweet lips, Yang's burning passion as she had fused their mouths together, and Weiss' cool comforting presence were still running through her head, even in the frozen wasteland they found themselves in. She could tell Ruby and Weiss had felt similar, as the glances they had shot her and each other were still slightly embarrassed. Although it was clear Yang had made up her mind already about what was to be, with how the dragon had winked at her when she first had turned to check on them.

Blake's musings were cut short by a loud scraping noise, startling her. She spun about with the other two to see Yang digging her massive right claw into the ground and pulling it back, scraping massive amounts of snow and ice beneath her.

"What _are_ you doing, Yang?" Weiss asked, blinking in confusion.

Yang grunted with exertion as she slammed her claw deeper, scraping back another mound. "The cave is below us. It's been covered up by the snow and ice for a long time. I only need to get a bit of a hole dug though, then I can just burn through the rest with my breath. One more good scrape outta do it…" Yang's voice trailed off as she slammed her claw down once more, ripping up another chunk, before wiping her claw off on the snow to the side. "Aha! Alright, stay back a little bit, this is gonna get hot."

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss took a few steps away from Yang's side, already able to feel the furnace-like heat lifting off her side as she stoked her internal flames. Yang took in a deep breath, her side expanding, and sticking her face into the shallow tunnel she had dug, she breathed.

A torrent of rushing golden flames swirled around her face as steam billowed up from the melting water, clouds of superheated gases blasting into the air. Ruby shielded her eyes from the bright flames, squinting as she tried to make out Yang's head within the dense cloud of water vapor that now surrounded the dragon's head. The torrent of flames trailed off, the only sound the dense hiss of steam and the panting of Yang's breath, before a swirling golden light surrounded Yang's draconic form. A moment later, she reappeared in her human form, striding out of the steam. She kept her fiery aura alive, keeping the other three near enough to keep them warm, before gesturing at the slowly cooling steam cloud.

"Well, let's go. It's a long way down though, and in this form I don't have my wings, and Blake doesn't have wings…can you two make sure we land in one piece?" Yang smirked at Ruby and Weiss, the latter scoffing.

"Hmph, should have thought of that before you decided on this," Weiss replied haughtily, but a note of teasing had crept in her voice. Ruby giggled at Weiss, her joyful chuckles infectious enough that Weiss' arrogant posture faded as she tried to hold back a smile.

"We'll get ya down safely! Blakey, c'mere!" Ruby demanded, holding out her hand towards Blake.

"Blakey?" Blake asked, arching an eyebrow. Ruby just nodded, grinning at her as Yang chuckled in the background. Blake rolled her eyes, before taking Ruby's hand, letting out a surprised yelp when Ruby yanked her into her arms and held her bridal style. Ruby's strength belying her slender form as Blake quickly wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck. Blake had for a moment forgotten that Ruby's magic specialization was enhancement.

Weiss sighed at Yang, looking her up and down critically before glancing back at Ruby and Blake. She ducked her head slightly as she scuffed her toe, before sighing again. "Ok. Climb on my back. I don't think I can hold you like Ruby can."

"You sure you can fly with me on your back?" Yang asked, peering down at the shorter woman and her delicate looking white wings.

"We're just going down, I only need to slow the fall. I'll be fine Yang, trust me," Weiss replied exasperatedly. Yang shrugged, slipping behind Weiss and wrapping her arms around Weiss' slender neck, pressing herself firmly up against her back. Weiss gulped at the feeling of the dragon's warm body pressed firmly up against her, quickly shaking her head to keep it focused. Ignoring the knowing looks on Ruby and Blake's faces, and the smirk she could _feel_ Yang making, she stepped to the edge of the hole Yang had blazed through the earth, standing next to Ruby.

The four looked down, seeing the still glowing edges of some molten rock deeper down where Yang had burned clean past the snow and ice into the earth itself. Taking a deep breath, Weiss stepped off the edge, Ruby following a moment later.

* * *

"So, this is it?" Ruby asked, glancing around the massive underground cavern they stood in. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary, which had her glancing back at Yang who stood with her arms crossed in the center of it. The dragon seemed to be waiting on something, her expression pensive. Ruby opened her mouth to speak again, but a sudden rumbling in the cavern threw her off balance, making her windmill her arms to avoid face planting in the ground. Regaining her balance, she was thrown off again by a sudden inrush of air, as a dark mist swirled around her, just barely avoiding touching her.

"I did well with this one, don't you think Olympus?" a voice came, hissing from the mist itself, sparks of red flitting about within it as it spoke.

A glowing ball of white light winked into existence above Ruby, bobbing in the air for a moment before zipping over to float above Weiss. Weiss quickly reached for her rapier, but a soothing voice interrupted her. "Now, now, angel, do not be so aggressive. I merely wanted to see what you have become. And yes, Tartarus, she does look quite impressive. I do feel I did an excellent job on this one as well."

A chuckle sounded from beside Blake, making the spirit glance wide-eyed next to her to see a flowing, translucent form hovering beside her. Though it had no eyes, Blake was certain it was inspecting her, as it weaved back and forth around her. "Yes, I think this is our best group yet. Look at this one, graceful, intelligent, and quite an intriguing power within. Do you think this is what she wanted from us?"

"Perhaps Aether. Perhaps not. Ah, but we must not forget Gaia's creation…I must admit Gaia, I was always impressed by the dragon's. Sure purity of form and of essence, you really outdid yourself with them," came the reply from the mist as it slithered along the ground to dart around Yang's unmoving form. A loud rumbling came from the cavern around them, shaking the floor once again as the three beings gave a synchronized laugh.

The light dipped down lower to hover at the same height as Weiss' head, before speaking. "Forgive Gaia for not manifesting…she is exhausted and wounded, the humans have been harming her for millennia. I believe it's time for introductions. I am Olympus, the Essence of the Celestial Realm, and you, Weiss Schnee, are my creation."

The translucent form loomed over Blake, its voice an ever shifting cacophony of others. "I am Aether, the Essence of the Spirit World. You, Blake Belladonna, shadow spirit, are a creation of mine. Perhaps the one I am most proud of, if the game continues as it goes."

The dark mist spiraled itself around Ruby's form, the red sparks forming into a strange, scintillating pattern before Ruby's eyes. "I am Tartarus, the Essence of the Abyss. Ruby Rose, I created you, and I must say, I'm quite happy with my work. You have done well for yourself little demon, even with the curse I implanted in you."

"Wait, _you_ cursed Ruby?" Weiss cried out, taking a step forward with her hand on the hilt of her weapon. Olympus dashed before her, blocking her path and bobbing in a way that seemed admonishing.

Tartarus made a sound that made those assembled think of a sigh. "Yes, I did. I had little choice. The curse had to go somewhere, and where better to go than to the one who would meet the one who could cure it?"

"You…you knew I could?" Yang asked, speaking for the first time since the Essences had appeared. The ground rumbled again.

"Gaia says 'Of course we could. I did make you after all.'" Tartarus dutifully translated.

"But how did you know we'd meet each other?" Blake asked, her voice quiet.

Aether danced before Blake, a note of humor within it. "Of course we did. We've known the plan all along."

"What plan?" Yang asked, gritting her teeth. Red began to seep into her eyes as she became annoyed at the roundabout way they were speaking.

Tartarus flitted off around the cavern, a contemplative tone in his voice. "I wonder how much we should reveal. Do you think she would be upset if we revealed too much?"

"Or not enough. They do need to start somewhere, do they not?' Olympus replied as it dipped low towards the ground. The earth rumbled around them once more, the other three making a noise of assent.

"Of course Gaia, we should most assuredly remind them of what they seem to have forgotten," Aether replied. The earth rumbled again, making the three pause. "Are you certain? You know it will be taxing." Another rumble sounded. "Very well. Let us remind them then."

"Remind us of _what_?" Ruby asked, confused. A sudden surge of power behind them had the women spinning in place, the earth behind Yang breaking into tiny rocks that floated up into the air. They snapped together into a single crystalline form, hovering just below Yang's head height.

Its voice sounded in a deep, resonant tone. " _When the last dragon wakes,_ " it intoned, floating over and gently tapping Yang on the forehead.

" _When the shadow's heart aches_ ," Aether spoke, a tiny tendril of its form floating out and tapping Blake gently on her chest.

" _When the angel lies-_ " Olympus added, a flicker of light tapping Weiss on her lips.

"- _and the devil cries_ ," Tartarus finished, a tiny trail of its mist touching Ruby on her cheek.

" _This world will end_." The four voices intoned as one, before the crystal faltered, breaking apart and falling back to the earth. Silence filled the cavern for a moment, before Yang exploded.

" _What?_ You mean to tell me we're going to somehow cause the end of the world?" Her eyes burning red, she took a step forward but faltered when she realized she had no real target to take her rage out on.

"Yes, you will. At least, if it goes according to her plan," came Tartarus' measured reply.

" _Who?_ Who is this she you keep talking about? I want answers!" Yang demanded, flames trailing from her clenched teeth.

"That is something you must discover on your own, young dragon," Aether responded.

Olympus bobbed in the air rapidly. "Do not misunderstand. The end of the world does not mean what you think it does."

"Then what does it mean?" Weiss asked, eyes narrowed.

"That, we cannot tell you," came the calm reply from Tartarus.

"Then what good are you?!" Yang growled, her hands clenched in fists at her side. The ground rumbled for a brief moment once more.

"Gaia asks you to stay calm young one. All will be revealed in time. But…we can tell you where to find your brother," Aether replied, flitting towards the back.

The other three women froze, locking eyes for a second before turning to look at Yang's frozen form. Yang's voice was a whisper. "Krēsla? Y-You know where he is?"

"That we do, dragon," Olympus said, floating beside Yang. "And so do you. Think, Yang. We speak of the end of the world, but which world? How many worlds? What kind of world? Yang, you are the Sun Dragon, you know of what we speak. To find your brother, you must retrace the steps of your sister and her lovers. You must go where they once went, in arrogance and in pride."

Ruby flitted over to Yang's side, a trail of petals following behind her as she appeared beside her. She carefully placed her hand on Yang's slumped shoulder. "Yang?"

Yang ignored Ruby, lifting her eyes to look at the floating ball beside her. "But...why would he be there? There is nothing there anymore!"

"That, my dear dragon, is where you are wrong. Your sister never told you what they found, deep within the depths, did she?" Tartarus asked, its mist sweeping across the ground near Yang's feet.

"No need to answer, we already know. In pride, in arrogance, they sought to right wrongs, to stop darkness from spreading, but they only managed to become what they despised. And thus, the prophecy was born. A world will end, my children, but is it a world you want to survive to begin with?" Aether spoke, its form expanding as it shifted around the four women.

"Ok, could someone try to explain what's going on please? I'm rather tired of being left in the dark!" Weiss growled out.

"I…I don't know what they mean by darkness, but I remember that Aurora once took Lucy, Gabe, and Tai to the Juncture. They came back perfectly fine though!"

"Did they Yang? Did they?" Olympus' voice was insistent.

"What's the Juncture?" Ruby asked, confused.

"It's the place where all the planes connect. It's one single point in the cosmos where all the planes are one and yet separate at the same time. I've never been there, but I know Aurora went with the others…" Yang replied, a note of helpless confusion in her voice as the red faded from her eyes.

"Stop letting your nostalgia control you, Sun Dragon! You know what we speak of! Something changed in her, in them, many millennia ago, but you were too blind to see. Now you are not. Retrace their steps, there you will find the answers you seek. You will find the truth…but be warned, young dragon. If you go down this path, there is no turning back. You will learn the truth, and this world…will…end…" Tartarus' voice faded as the mist flowed into the ground, dissipating into nothingness. The earth settled, as Olympus blinked out of existence, and Aether swept past Blake before his form floated away into the walls nearby.

Silence settled over the cavern, and for the first time since they had entered, the four women felt truly alone. Blake shuffled over to where Ruby stood, the demon's hand still on Yang's shoulder as the dragon stared at the ground, biting her lip. Weiss sidled up to Yang's other side, reaching down and placing her hand over Yang's clenched fist.

"Yang…we're going. Whatever this is, whoever that 'she' is who's pulling the strings, we don't care. We have to know as much as you do…maybe we can find out what's wrong with the leaders too!"

Ruby and Blake nodded in agreement with Weiss, but waited to hear Yang's reply. Yang took a deep, shuddering breath. "Alright. We go. I…I need to know. And as long as I have you guys by my side, I think I can handle anything that's thrown at me. Yang's smile was weak, but genuine, as she locked lilac eyes with blue, amber, and silver. Three women nodded on concert, smiling back, before Blake glanced up and arched an eyebrow.

"So…how are we getting out of here?"

* * *

"This is it. We must depart."

" _So it's come to this. We've waited a long time…We hope they will forgive us._ "

" **Well, it ain't like we can stop now. We're stuck on this 'ere path**."

"It could be worse. They said much more than we wished they had though."

" _Well…we have to deal with what we have_."

" **We hope there is enough room for all of us**."

"We will be fine. We do not need all of us regardless, only enough to explain. It is time to begin the end."

With a sigh, they cut the final link off. Standing up from their seated position, they stumbled with closed eyes towards the room to the left, barely managing to keep their balance as they stomped to the sink, turning on the water and allowing it to fall into their hands. Dipping down, they splashed water on their face in order to clear away the headache that came from linking for so long and with so many at once. Shaking their head for a moment, they lifted their face up to look where they knew the mirror was.

With a smile, Red opened her eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, Chapter 11! I don't want to take up too much of your time, so we're just going to jump right into it! Enjoy!

Though leaving immediately had been their original intention, the group had silently decided not to, as Yang clearly was upset. The dragon was slumped down against one of the cave walls, her arms wrapped around her knees which were drawn up to her chest. In that position, with her forehead resting on her knees, she looked less like an ancient, magical beast of legend, and more like a lost and lonely little girl. Ruby had taken to sitting next to her, staying silent but letting Yang know she wasn't alone.

Weiss and Blake had moved off to the side a little ways. They both realized quite some time back that when it came to cheering people up, the two of them were a little…rusty. Between Weiss' stubbornness and tendency towards blunt speaking, and Blake's somewhat standoffish attitude she put off without meaning to, it was perhaps better they allow Ruby to take point on this. Instead, the two had put their heads together, trying to puzzle out the meaning of what the Essences had said.

"They made it sound like something was wrong with the leaders for the past several millennia. Yang said that trip was old, they went so long ago I doubt even Uriel was alive for it!" Weiss said, keeping her voice low.

"Yes, but if so, how come no one noticed it till now?" Blake asked, just as perturbed as Weiss. "Not only that, but the other dragons, how did they not notice? One or two I can understand…" Blake tilted her head meaningfully at Yang's still form. "But all of them? And what was that they said about Dawn as well?"

"They weren't lying. I should have noticed. I should have seen the signs. Something was wrong, I remember thinking that, but I put it aside because…because I trusted my sister," Yang's quiet voice, so different from her normal brash one, rang out in the cavern. She lifted her head off her knees, eyes ancient as she stared straight ahead. For the first time since they had met her, Yang's eyes truly looked as old as she was.

Ruby slowly wrapped her arm around Yang's, cuddling gently into her side. "It's not your fault, Yang. Maybe it wasn't the right time for you to find out back then? Maybe you needed…us."

"That's another thing! If we were all made, and the Essences knew about all of this, are we somehow… _destined_ for this? I mean, are we even making our own choices, or are we some kind of puppets!" Weiss practically screeched, glaring around her as if to stare down the Essences who had already disappeared.

"What you really are asking is if what we feel for each other is real, or something forced upon us, aren't you?" Blake spoke, her eyes downcast. Weiss froze in place, her jaw snapping shut as she resolutely refused to look anywhere near the other three. Ruby hunched her shoulders as that thought hit her, releasing Yang's arm and moving back from her slightly. The demon curled into her cloak, ignoring how that hurt to hear.

"Well, I suppose I could tell you that much," came a hissing voice from behind Blake and Weiss. Spinning around, they saw the swirling black and red mist that heralded Tartarus.

"I thought you left?" Ruby piped up, her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"We can never truly leave, Ruby. We are as tied to you as you are to us. But I know what you mean…well, I had, but I knew this would come up. The other three thought we should let you argue it out, but pshaw. Chaos doesn't follow the rules! Plus I'm tired of drama, and every time you get upset it gives me quite the headache. I put a lot of Chaos in you after all Ruby, you're more strongly connected to me than most." Its voice was smug, and the girls felt that if it had a face, it would be smirking at them.

"Fine! So what is it? Do we have free will, or don't we?" Weiss demanded, fists clenched at her sides. All four women seemed to be hanging on Tartarus' words, waiting desperately for its answer.

Tartarus gave out a laugh that sounded like the roll of thunder as sparks danced within his form. "Of course you do, Weiss! You simply don't understand how the truth of balance works, that's all."

"Truth of balance?" Yang asked, eyebrow arched. Tartarus nodded in reply.

"Listen…did we design you so that you would be very attractive to other mortal beings? Sure. Did we intentionally choose to have you run into each other early on? Absolutely. Did we choose to imbue you with a _lot_ of power compared to others of your species? Sure. Admittedly, the last time we made three of you at the same time and did that, we ended up with Lucifer, Gabriel, and Titania, but…hey, always try again, right? But in all seriousness, we can't make your minds into anything but what you make them. Souls are not something we create. We only create the form your soul inhabits."

"But our souls come from you and the others, don't they?" Blake asked.

"Yes, but we don't make them. We just…release what is there. We are full of energy, energy that is of a specific type. Mine for example is chaotic energies. Chaos itself, but also creativity. Olympus is order, law, structure. Aether is the energy of uniqueness, of change, of alteration. And Gaia is both power and progress, which she split amongst her two children, the dragons and man. This energy is what we use to create and sustain our realms, and to form more of your kind. But we don't _create_ the souls or the personality at all. We release the energy, and it becomes…you."

"So we still make our own choices?" came Ruby's voice.

"Of course! Yes, this was all planned, but she planned it knowing that you may or may not follow this path. What you feel is all you, just as what they felt many eons ago was all them. But where you choose to take what you've begun to build is up to no one but you. I'm certainly not going to tell you what to do. But stop worrying about whether you have a choice. Everything you've done is a choice. Did you choose what she guessed? Mostly. Except coming to see us. " Tartarus' mirth was obvious as it swirled around in circles.

"Ok, enough of the mysteries, who is _she_?!" Yang demanded, her teeth clenched as she stomped over to stand before the Essence.

"That, Sun Dragon, I truly cannot reveal to you. It would in fact hurt you far more to find out now, before she can explain. The only thing I can tell you is that if you go hunting your brother, you will find her, and she will explain everything. Whether you accept her explanation or not is up to you. But truly, I cannot stay any longer. Binding my form to this plane is draining after all. I must return to my home…where I hope I'll see you soon, little Ruby." Without waiting for a reply, Tartarus' form disappeared into the ground, its misty form vanishing in an instant.

"…what did he mean by that? I'm banished, I can't go back!" Ruby cried out, wind-milling her arms in an attempt to express her frustration and confusion. She groaned herself as she flopped back onto the ground, arms and legs splayed out from her.

"I don't know, but I'm tired of riddles," Blake replied, planting herself next to Ruby in an uncharacteristically slouched position. The shadow spirit sighed, running one hand through her hair.

"Well…I feel a little better, knowing that this is us, not some stupid destiny crap," Weiss remarked offhandedly, taking a deep breath. "That is, if Tartarus didn't lie to us."

"Lying is a mortal invention. I don't think they know how to lie. If they don't want to tell you something, they won't," Yang replied.

Ruby glanced next to her, noting that Blake's tail was behind her and twitching ever so slightly. A mischievous grin crossed the demon girl's face as she stretched her hand out behind Blake. Glancing up to be sure she hadn't noticed the motion, Ruby quickly grabbed at her tail gently and stroked along the fur.

Blake let out a squeak, red flooding her face as she sat up, back ramrod straight as she felt lightning blaze through her veins at the gentle stroke. She tried to catch her breath, but Ruby's giggles as she stroked at her tail again sent shivers through her. With great effort, she glared down halfheartedly at Ruby and tried (and failed) to yank her tail away from the demon girl's curious hands. "W-what are you doing Ruby?"

"Just playing a bit! I love your tail, it's so cute!" Ruby grinned, eyes glimmering in the dark cave. Blake glanced up beseechingly at the other two, but Yang was grinning madly, giving Blake a wink. Weiss had a smirk painted on her face, arms crossed over her chest as she gazed down upon the two of them. Blake hissed at them both in frustration, wanting to do more but unable to truly move, sparks dancing up and down her spine as Ruby kept running her fingers along Blake's sensitive tail.

Weiss sighed, letting her smile drop, before glancing over at Yang. "Maybe…maybe this is a good time to talk. Talk about, you know…the thing?" Ruby slowed her hands, glancing up at the two women standing before them. Gently laying Blake's tail down, she sat up, leaning back on her hands.

Yang ran one hand through her golden mane, taking a deep breath before flopping down across from Blake. Crossing her legs in front of her, she gestured for Weiss to take a seat next to her, across from Ruby. The angel rolled her eyes, but sat gracefully, folding her legs beneath her and resting upon them. Yang rolled her shoulders, taking a moment to stretch out, before leaning forward and running her gaze steadily across the three women around her.

"Ok…well, I see no reason to doubt Tartarus about this. So we all made a choice, and I think it's obvious what the choice is. But I can see you three still have trouble saying it out loud, so let me be the first." Yang paused, taking a deep breath.

"I like you. A lot. I've not felt this way about any other being since coming into existence when Gaia formed me. Maybe I wasn't meant to, hell if I know. But I know that I don't want one of you, I want all of you. I want to hug you, and kiss you, and see a _lot_ more of you guys without clothing." Yang winked at the three, red staining their cheeks as she proclaimed that last line. "But if we're going to follow this path, if we want to go down this road, we go down together, or not at all. And you have to say it. You have to admit it. I can't go into this halfway. So tell me I'm not imagining things. Tell me you meant it when you kissed me, when you kissed each other."

Silence filled the cavern after Yang's proclamation, the other three ducking their heads nervously. A deep intake of air from Ruby made Weiss and Blake look up, locking eyes with a visibly nervous but determined Ruby. "I…I feel the same. I didn't get it at first; it's not like I had a lot of experience with this heh. I do like you, all of you. You're all just so cool and nice and so very beautiful and I'm just this little demon dork and I don't know why you'd ever want to be with me and-"

Blake's hand covered Ruby's mouth, muffling her increasingly rapid babbling that had begun to spill from her. Waiting patiently until Ruby had stopped talking, she slowly removed her hand from Ruby's mouth as the young demon glared at her. Blake sighed deeply. "You're a dork, but you're our dork. And…I feel the same. I didn't expect this when I left the Spirit World; I didn't even expect to _see_ a demon or an angel, much less a _dragon_. Much less fall…fa…fall in…fall for them," Blake hurriedly spat out, looking away from the other three. Yang turned her head to glance at Weiss, the angel sitting silent and keeping her eyes planted firmly on the ground before her.

Weiss gulped, and without looking up, spoke quietly. "When growing up, I was always told that since the realm had created me, I was destined for something different. Could not have guessed it would be any of this. The end of the worlds may be coming, I've got a bounty on my head, I can't even return home, and yet…all I can think of is you three. I don't know what's going to happen, but, I think if it's with you guys...I can handle anything. So yes, Yang. I like all three of you. So, there!" Weiss ended her sentence with a harrumph as she crossed her arms, a light pink dusted on her cheeks as she tried to look imposing.

Yang grinned at the three, leaning forward farther. Sharing a quick look and wink with Ruby, who realized what she was up to immediately, she lunged forward, her wide arm reach capturing the other three without a problem. Squeezing the giggling Ruby, eye-rolling Blake, and protesting Weiss in her arms, she shouted " _GROUP HUG!_ "

* * *

 

"Yang, are you sure you want this?" Blake asked, her hand on Yang's shoulder as the dragon finished marking another sigil in the ground.

"Yup. I need to know, Blake. I need…I need to see Krēsla, and ask him what happened. I need this. Do you understand?" Yang beseeched Blake, eye's pleading with her.

Blake nodded slowly, squeezing Yang's shoulder tightly. "I understand. I just wanted to be sure. Are we ready?"

"Well, if these symbols are correct, then yes. I think Ruby and I have them in place," Weiss added, standing carefully in the center of the circle. Ruby knelt next to her, carefully inspecting the symbols carved around her, before lifting her hand and giving a thumbs up. Blake nodded, carefully stepping into the circle to stand next to the angel and demon.

Yang took a deep breath, stepping in after them. The four women formed a circle, clasping hands so they were all connected. Yang allowed her energy to flow, letting her magic fill the rune circle they had created. Each symbol lit up, golden flames spearing up into the air around the four, sending their shadows into stark relief against the walls of the cavern. As the flames enclosed them all, forming together above them into a dome, they closed their eyes. Ignoring the heat, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake allowed their auras to be swept along in the wake of Yang's power, letting themselves be carried where she traveled. They felt their very souls being encompassed in the all-consuming fire of Yang's flame, but it did not burn. It was a comforting, soothing warmth, one that brought subconscious smiles to their faces as the wrench of interdimensional travel suddenly ripped into them with incredible force.

As the swirling flames died down around them, they gasped for breath as their bodies tried to acclimate to the new plane they found themselves on. Ruby opened her eyes first, making sure to look around and be certain the others were fine. Weiss was twitching, but seemed otherwise unharmed, taking deep calming breaths. Yang had kept her eyes closed, lost in the meditation she used to drag them into the Juncture. Blake had opened her eyes, but was busy stretching her arms, trying to get feeling back into the now numb limbs.

Ruby lifted her head and gazed into the realm they had arrived in. All she could see around her was black, swirling smoke, interspersed with brilliant flecks of white that flickered in and out of existence, almost as though they were winking at her. The entire realm seemed dead silent, save a deep, steady, rhythmic sound, almost like…breathing?

Yang's eyes snapped open, flames erupting around her as she spun about. The black smoke swirled out of the way of her blazing fire, revealing a massive, dark figure hunched over before them, the breathing sound coming from it. It grumbled slightly, and with a series of shifting and cracking noises, it seemed to move. Towering over the four women, a deep purple light began to shine from it, revealing the serpentine neck and massive body behind it, revealing what they could only assume was Krēsla, the Twilight Dragon.

Though Ruby, Weiss, and Blake had become accustomed to Yang's draconic form, the combined thrill and fear of seeing a true dragon in his immense magnificence still took their breath away. Shimmering purple, blue, and black scales shined in the reflection of Yang's golden flame, as two deep blue eyes opened. His mouth opened in what the three women were not sure was a grin or a snarl, before an exhausted voice spoke.

"Yang…it is so…good to see you," he spoke haltingly, but anyone could hear the joy in his voice as it spoke. He lifted a massive leg, as though to step forward, but he collapsed as soon as he lost the support, smashing into the ground with a tremendous thud, shaking the smooth surface below them. Yang cried out wordlessly, instantly blazing into her own draconic form in a brilliant burst of golden light as she scampered over to his side.

In the brightness now provided by Yang's form, the three women who had begun to take a step towards the other dragon froze, eyes wide at the sight before them. His body was covered in deep gashes, blood slowly oozing from them. Massive, half healed scars littered his form, and huge patches of scales had been ripped clean off, leaving just large blood covered holes in his sides. One wing was practically ripped off, hugged tightly against his body, as the other showed holes in the membranes. Only his left horn remained at its full length, his right horn sheared off near the base, cracks running up and down it.

Only the front half of his body was visible. The second half of his form stretched back into a massive stone gateway, only an inky blackness visible in it. It was almost as though his body ceased to exist where it crossed the barrier into the darkness. As Ruby peered closely as his injuries, her eyes went wide as she realized that many of them resembled the claws and teeth of the more common Grimm variants. She could even see small specks of the black acidic corruption Grimm were known for, scattered about as though they were all that remained of them. Her eyes trailed back up to the other two, seeing in their eyes that they had seen the same thing.

Yang had practically lain down beside his fallen form, her muzzle nuzzling him gently under his neck, trying to help lift him up off his side. With a groan of exertion and her help, he managed to roll himself back upright, allowing his neck to rest on his paws as he relaxed onto the ground. His voice, though tired, held some mirth as he spoke again. "Always picking me up when I fall, huh, big sister?"

"Wait, you're the older sister?" Ruby dared to ask, before slamming her hand over her mouth, fearing she had overstepped her bounds in her curiosity.

Krēsla chuckled. "She's the eldest of us, actually. We were all made in one day, in order of what appears and what becomes. Sun, Dawn, Noon, Twilight, Moon, Star, and Midnight is the baby." If dragons could blush, it was pretty obvious Yang was, her golden light slightly fluctuating when he called her his big sister. She shook her massive head, curling herself next to him so her side touched his.

"What…what happened? What's wrong? Who did this to you? Wait, forget that, explain later! We need to get you out of here!" Yang made to stand up again, but his paw reached out and grabbed hers first.

"I can't leave Yang. I'm here for a reason."

Yang snarled at him. "And what reason is that? To get ripped apart? _No_! I don't know what happened, and right now I don't care! We need to get you somewhere safe!"

Krēsla stared up at Yang with ancient, sad eyes, before shaking his head slowly. "Yang…you need to understand. We need your help."

"We? Whose we?" Blake asked, creeping closer to Krēsla's battered form.

His eyes turned to meet Blake, a draconic smile crossing his face as he looked her and the other two over. "Wow. So these are your lovers. Well done, sister, well done."

All four flushed, with Weiss shaking her head in denial quickly. "W-We're not lovers! We're…not...yet, at least…" she trailed off quietly, looking away from him.

The sound of a chuckle came from him, before a massive cough shook his form. A splatter of blood trailed out from between his teeth, his tongue stretching out and licking his teeth clean quickly. "Hah! I haven't laughed in millennia! Thank you, little one, for that gift. As for who is we…well…ask them." He nodded his head behind the four. Yang lifted her head up and looked behind the other three, who spun about to see a single figure striding out of the darkness, followed by another, and another, and another, until the shadowy forms of hundreds of figures appeared in the darkness.

Red stepped into the light, an apologetic look on her face, her hands out wide before her. White and Black flanked her, followed by more and more Simulacrum's they recognized, and many they didn't. Red stopped before them, her stance submissive as she bowed her head. "We're sorry. But we have deceived you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...here we are. The final explanation of almost all the remaining mysteries! While its not the end of the fic, it's nearing it, maybe one or two chapters left. I certainly hope you guys have enjoyed the ride as much as I have, and I hope all the twists really make sense now.
> 
> Disclaimer - I don't own RWBY

"R-Red? Wh-what? What's going on? I don't…I don't understand," Ruby managed to stutter out, her mouth gaping.

Red held her hands up beseechingly. "Please…all we ask is you let us speak our piece. We will explain everything, if you'll just let us."

"Explain then. _Now_!" Weiss demanded, her eyes hard as she glared at her doppelganger standing calmly next to Red.

"When we told you we were created of your essence and of the aether by Pietro, we didn't lie-" White began.

"-but we didn't tell you the whole truth," Black finished.

"We have one more thing within us-"a statuesque, muscular woman with sparkling green eyes and luxurious flowing red hair that Weiss realized was Pyrrha's simulacrum was, added.

"-and that is somethin' Yang 'ere'll be familiar with I reckin." Jay, the blonde simulacrum who had driven them around in the city added.

"What are you _talking_ about? I'm sick and tired of riddles!" Yang roared, her draconic voice echoing across the empty plane.

With a simultaneous sigh, every simulacrum looked towards Red in unison. Red nodded, before clasping her hands before her, holding them tightly to her chest. Each other simulacrum mirrored the gesture, as a subtle yellow glow began to surround them all. It radiated out from their core, right behind their clasped hands, before it began to stream up above them. Each of the simulacrums froze in place, locked in the light as it flew up above them. The glowing light coalesced into a massive, pale yellow ball, before it began to shift. It writhed in the air, almost as though it were struggling, before it formed into a recognizable shape. For a split second, a massive glowing pale yellow dragon form existed, before the light shot down to hover above the ground before the simulacrums. It quickly shifted into a humanoid figure, revealing a translucent, nude, glowing woman with short, bright yellow hair and a pair of pink eyes. The figure smiled, floating gently off the ground, waving calmly at the four women.

"Hello. I'm Aurora, the Dawn Dragon."

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake spun about to look at Yang wide-eyed, worried about her reaction. Yang's massive jaw was dropped, before she slammed her mouth shut. She leapt to her feet, claws scraping against the smooth ground below her, before dashing towards the glowing figure. Mid run, she shifted back to her humanoid form, the sound going from the smash of claws to the slap of her bare feet as she ran, skidding to a stop right before the glowing figure. Yang lifted one hand up, her face still a rictus of shock, and slowly tried to touch Aurora's cheek. Her hand passed clean through, a sparkle of yellow light following her hand as it swept through the incorporeal form.

Aurora gave a sad smile, her voice echoing slightly. "I'm sorry, Yang. I'm not...fully here anymore."

"W-What happened? I...you, Krēsla, what happened to you? Where are Emini, Naleli, Nischa, Luna? Where is everyone? What…I…" Yang's voice was confused, on the verge of tears as she gestured helplessly.

Aurora's form held up a hand. "Please, Yang. I promise, I'm going to explain everything, but you need to let me start at the beginning. You'll understand best when you can see. Let me show you…my memories." Her form began to glow brightly, the yellow light streaming out to surround the four women, as they felt themselves being drawn somewhere…else.

* * *

"Ary! Hey, wait up!" a voice called from behind her. She spun about, smiling down at the tiny figure of Titania as she flew after her in the skies of the Spirit World.

"Slowpoke!" she called back, teasing the smaller being. A tap on her nose had her crossing her eyes to view the tall demon standing on her snout, smirking at her.

"Who's the slowpoke now, huh?" Lucifer mocked, winking at her as he leapt off her nose and flew ahead of her. She huffed in annoyance, narrowing her eyes, but quickly lost the annoyance when Lucifer let out an undignified yelp as white wings smacked him in the face.

"Hey! Gabe, that's cheating!" Lucifer called out, the response being a taunting laugh as the angel winked back at the three behind him.

"Don't be a sore loser cause I got it and you don't, Lucy!" Gabriel felt himself being stopped midair, a rope of vines tied around his middle as Titania blew past him, sticking her tongue out at him. She flew backwards for a moment, taunting the others behind her, but suddenly Lucifer dove in front of her, raising his hands and grabbing her to his chest.

"Hey! What gives?!" she shouted at him, but her playful manner faded at the look in his eyes as he flew backwards, his eyes locked behind Titania. From her position, looking at the other two, she saw both Aurora and Gabriel were hovering midair, mouths gaping and an expression of horror across them. She spun about in Lucifer's arms, before she slammed her hands to her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes.

The land before them was covered in a mass of some strange black, oozing substance. Smoke rose up from where it was consuming everything before it, dark tendrils of inky blackness wrapped around helpless spirits as they struggled, but as she watched, they were drowned in the depths of the dark ooze, disappearing into it as though they never existed. A massive black cloud was above the region, more of the black substance falling from it, hissing as it fell to the earth below it. Titania began to shake in Lucifer's arms, his grip convulsively tightening around her as he landed on Aurora's back. Gabriel quickly flew to their side, grabbing Titania with one arm as he threw another around Lucifer's frozen form, giving him a quick squeeze.

Aurora blinked, back-winging so she could land, carefully staying a slight distance from the dark cloud. "What…what is this?"

Titania's only response was tears, her hands covering her eyes as she tried to avoid looking at the devastation of her beautiful world. Gabriel kept his arm around the other two, aghast, but one glance at Lucifer had him backing of slowly.

Lucifer was shaking, but unlike Titania it didn't seem to be out of horror. His teeth were clenched, eyes glowing a dark red, glaring at the destruction with what looked like sheer rage. His voice was one step shy of a growl as he spoke. "Who would _dare_ do this? How…how dare someone…this is Tai's world, this is…I won't allow it. Too many innocent spirits have been harmed, I'm going to hunt down whoever did this and _they…will…pay_!"

"Not alone you won't." Gabriel didn't flinch when Lucifer's eyes landed on his, his teeth still clenched. "We do this together, Lucy. We always do it together." Lucifer nodded slowly in reply, but looked down as Titania slipped out of his arms.

"As a team, right?" She smiled brokenly up at the other two, her tearstained cheeks still wet as she sniffled slightly.

Aurora, still staring into the black cloud, spoke quietly. "We can't do that now. We have no idea how this happened, and I don't think we'll survive just jumping in without information. I think we need to figure out how this happened."

"How will we do that?" Gabriel asked.

"…let's ask the Essences. They should know, especially Aether," came Aurora's hesitant reply.

"Assuming they tell us anything worthwhile," Lucifer drawled, his tone making it clear what he thought of that plan.

"Well, we don't have anything better, Lucy." Titania looked up at Lucifer, her bright eyes searching his slowly fading red ones.

Lucifer sighed. "Yeah, I know. Fine. Let's go."

* * *

"Well, that wasn't a complete waste," Lucifer remarked, his eye twitching as they stood in the center of a large rune circle Gabriel was finishing up.

"At least they told us where to go, that's something," came Titania's hesitant reply.

"They could have told us what we have to fight, instead of just 'we can't tell you that'," groused Gabriel, his arms crossed over his chest as he put the last symbol down.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is we go to the Juncture and confront this…whatever it is. And then, when we've made it pay, we can relax. Hey, after we finish this, want to get Yang and Krēsla and see if we can prank Nischa again?" Aurora's cheer was mostly false, desiring only to try to distract them slightly, but it seemed to work on Titania who began giggling.

"You always know just the right way to my heart, Aurora."

Lucifer snorted. "Yeah, being a mischievous little sprite."

Titania winked at Lucifer. "Oh, you know you love it. Besides, you always get all hot and bothered when Gabe and I come up with our cunning little plans." She enjoyed the way Lucifer's face flushed slightly, before he turned from her to face the center of the circle. She let the humor fade as she focused on the circle, prepared to go see what was coming.

Aurora called upon her energy, opening the gate, sending them through.

* * *

Something about this felt off. Something was…wrong. As soon as they had seen the dark gate standing at the Juncture, with the ooze flowing from it, they had instantly darted into it, her flames leading the way. Inside the gate, it was impossible to describe save a crushing, painful darkness, a pull at her soul. Everything was pitch black, the only light being what they created through sheer force of will. They were surrounded by shapes, monstrous creatures with no names she had ever heard of, but they fell before the four of them without even the slightest trouble.

Each monster that fell, it felt like the darkness was retreating, reversing, but…it was too _easy_. Aurora had always had that extra sense, that singular feeling that allowed her mind to see the future, and right now it still looked bleak. Something was happening and she simply could not understand. Titania had her arms out wide, bolts of white lightning scattering around her, impaling monsters on every side. Gabriel's mace was crushing anything before him, every swing a thundering impact as the darkness shrieked in agony at every hit. Lucifer's spear spun in his hands elegantly, its exceedingly sharp point being stabbed through creature after creature without the slightest hesitation.

Not a single monster could scratch her hide, not a single one could survive the inferno that was her dragon-fire. One swing of her claw, one snap of her teeth, and another creature fell, destroyed. Each step they took, more and more darkness retreated, more and more space about them, but it still felt so _wrong!_ But before Aurora knew it, the darkness had vanished, leaving them standing in…where? Glancing around, she couldn't actually see an end to anything. It was just a single, massive, space, nothing around them, no colors, no nothing. It was…empty. She couldn't 'see' anything at all, or feel it, but she could sense that the darkness was gone and it was empty.

"Well, that was somewhat anticlimactic," Gabriel remarked, reverting his mace into the aether.

"I'm rather glad it was so simple. It's a good thing we saw that in the first place, I doubt anyone else could have handled it," came Lucifer's reply.

Titania just smiled, but her smile faded as she saw the look on Aurora's face. "Hey, Ary, something wrong?"

Aurora shook her head in negation, smiling softly. "No. Sorry, was caught up in my thoughts. Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

As the second memory faded, the four women found themselves facing Aurora's floating form once again. The projection sighed, running on hand through her hair. "I was wrong, about there being nothing wrong. At first, I didn't notice anything, but suddenly…we were fighting a lot. We started keeping secrets from each other, and soon enough our people followed. I doubt Yang noticed, she was somewhat dense, but everyone was becoming rather short tempered. And then, it hit me. A vision. A vision of what was to come, and what had already transpired. That's…how I ended up like this."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked cautiously, Yang muttering off to the side about how she wasn't dense.

Choosing to ignore Yang, Aurora continued. "We became infected by what was behind that gate. What is behind that gate is not something that can be fought. It exists within us all. There is no name for it, no term, it's nothing more than well…nothing. Darkness, the Void, call it what you will, it isn't an enemy that can be fought, and we were too stupid to realize that."

"Then what were you fighting?" Blake asked.

"That's the thing. We were fighting it, but it was what it wanted. It wanted us to believe we had beat it, because the truth was that it had infected us. Well, perhaps a better word would be it woke what was inside us. All beings have that thing within us, but our souls fight against it. It is the natural enemy of the Essences, and by extension the enemy of all living beings. It desires nothing more than the complete end of everything. And it was within us now. I realized it, but the others…they couldn't see it. It fed off their fears, insecurities, jealousy, rage...it fed off my pride."

Aurora paused, sighing heavily as she shook her head. "When I realized what was happening, even as I was being corrupted, I knew I had to do something. So…I hatched a plan. A plan I didn't tell any of you, but as each one of you woke, I found and explained the plan. And you know our family…they jumped on the chance to help. But I couldn't tell you. Because…because you can't keep a secret to save your life. And because we needed you to do what you did, to find these three, to follow these clues. Hold on a minute!" she commanded, interrupting Yang who had opened her mouth to speak. Yang sighed, but kept quiet.

"I had to stop myself from turning. So I trapped my body, deep within the void itself, that gate behind you, and separated my soul. Pietro, kind and understanding soul that he is, agreed to my plan to make the simulacrum's out of my essence as well. And Krēsla…dear Krēsla agreed to guard the gateway, when he woke. He even agreed to take the blame for the Grimm, even though it has nothing to do with him. Truth is, my body has been stolen by the void itself, and its power grows. That's the true source of the Grimm corruption…my body itself. And the fact my beloved are all corrupted as well. It's not conscious, but it's being created by the void that has grown inside of us."

"So what do we have to do to remove the corruption?" Ruby asked worriedly.

Aurora looked down on Ruby sadly. "You can't. We can't be fixed, not after we've been infected this long. I brought you together for one purpose."

"And that is…?" Weiss asked, eyebrow arched.

"To kill us."

Silence filled the plane for a brief moment as they gaped at Aurora's hovering form. It was Yang who broke the silence with a loud, angry growl. " _What?!_ What kind of idiotic plan is that? You're my sister! And Lucy, Gabe, Tai, they were my friends too! We can't just up and kill them!"

"Yang, listen to me-"Aurora began, but Yang cut her off with an angry swipe of her hand.

" _NO!_ There is a better way, I'm not going to just kill any of you! Its-"

" _Yang shut up!_ " Aurora screamed at Yang, her ethereal voice echoing in the dismal bleakness of the Juncture. Yang rocked back, shocked by her reaction. "Yang, you'd be doing us a favor. We've been consumed by it, even with my soul separated I can still _feel_ the pain my body is in. And the other three? It's even worse for them. They didn't even realize they were being controlled until so very recently. They are prisoners inside their own bodies now, and I can't sit by and watch that happen to them! Yang, I love them, and I love you as my sister, and I'm asking you to please, _please_ , stop us…Stop us before what is behind that gate grows too strong. You can save the worlds, and save us…together."

Yang threw her hands up and clenched them in her hair, hissing through clenched teeth as she stomped around. Wisps of flames escaped her mouth as she bit her lip, tugging on her hair, letting the pain help her focus. Blake was staring at Aurora, seemingly frozen. Weiss had her eyes closed, taking deep breaths, trying to calm her own breathing. Ruby just glanced worriedly between the three and Aurora, before taking a deep breath.

"I'll do it," she said, standing tall. Blake and Weiss gaped at her, as Yang spun around to face her, eyes wide. Ruby shook slightly under their intense gazes, but kept her eyes locked on Aurora. "You said this will stop the Grimm, stop the darkness, and it'll set you guys free. If that's what it takes, I'll do it. Yang trusts you, she's spoken so highly of you time and again, and if she trusts you, I trust you."

Aurora bowed her head before Ruby in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Ruby."

Weiss stepped forward to stand beside Ruby, taking the demons hand and squeezing it tightly for a moment. "I'll go too. We're a team, right?" Ruby nodded at that, smiling at the angel and squeezing her hand back.

"I can't let you do this alone. Of course I'll go with you too," Blake added, standing next to Weiss. As one, the three women turned to look at the fuming Yang, looking back to see what she had to say.

Yang clenched her eyes shut, shaking slightly, before a deep sigh escaped her as her shoulders slumped. "I…I'll do it. If it'll save you…I'll do it. What must we do?"

Aurora cringed back slightly. "You're not going to like the answer to that."

Weiss threw up her hands in the air in exasperation. "What _now_?"

"None of you are strong enough to take them on as you are. Not even you Yang, not when the void has such a hold of them. But, if we join your power with someone else's…" Aurora trailed off as the smoke around them swirled and moved backwards, four massive reptilian figures appearing surrounded them.

Yang's eyes went wide, her hands leaping to her mouth as she did a small jig of joy. She spun around, a happy grin on her face as she realized who it was. "Nischa! Naleli! Luna! Emini! I've missed you so much!"

The one she had called Nischa, onyx colored scales shimmering in the faint light coming off of Aurora, chuckled in a deep voice. "We've missed you too, big sister."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Emini asked, his bright yellow scales easily visible in the gloom.

"Well, she took forever to wake up!" came the giggling voice of Naleli, her iridescent rainbow form shaking as she laughed.

"You just had to sleep in, didn't you?" mocked Luna as she stretched out her pure white wings.

Yang just grinned stupidly at them for a moment, before Aurora's previous words hit her. She spun to face Aurora again, eyes wide. "What do you mean by join?!"

Aurora flinched. "I was afraid you'd ask that…" Yang didn't move, her eyes staring into Aurora's steadily. "Yang…you already know what the answer is."

Yang shook her head in negation, backing away slowly from Aurora. "No. No no no no no. _No_! I refuse! You can't possibly think this is the right thing to do!"

"Yang…we've already decided," Nischa spoke gently.

Yang spun on her, tears dripping from her eyes as she glared. " _No_! As the eldest, I forbid it! N.O! Do I make myself clear?!"

Emini stepped forward, leaning his head down low to look directly at Yang. "You don't make our decisions for us, Yang. It's our choice. And we choose to do this, so that the worlds can be safe."

"Wait, what are you guys arguing about? What'll happen to you if you give us your power?" Ruby asked.

Naleli looked down at Ruby with a sad smile. "We are our power. If we give you what we are…we will cease to be."

Ruby's eyes went wide, backpedaling as she helplessly waved her hands in front of her in horror. Weiss rocked back, jaw gaping, as Blake shook her head no. Yang quickly threw her hand out towards the other three.

"See? Even they think it's a bad idea! There has to be another way! I'm not losing my family, not again!"

"Nothing you do can save me, Yang. I'm already lost. And Krēsla has little time for this world. He sacrificed himself to seal the gate, unsealing it will cost him what remains of his life. Yang, I'm sorry, but this is the only way! If you don't stop us, we'll destroy everything! And you simply aren't strong enough right now!"

"Can't you just fight with us?" Weiss blurted out.

"We'd be corrupted too quickly. The void knows of us, and it is prepared. Yang, as the first born, is far too difficult to corrupt quickly. And with our power within you, you'd be strong enough to resist it too. The Essences built you specifically so you could not be taken by the Void. You are naturally strong, and resistant to its effects. With us, you would have the power you need to end this threat once and for all," Luna spoke quietly.

Yang's head dropped, her shoulder's slumping as she stared at the ground and whispered "I don't want to be alone…"

"You won't be alone. You have them now," Aurora said, gesturing to Ruby, Weiss, and Blake. "They are your family now. And we'll still be with you Yang. But it's you who taught us that as dragons, we have a duty to protect and guard. You were the one who explained to us we have to guide the smaller species, we have to save them whatever the cost. Well, this is the cost we must pay, and while it is a high one, it's what we exist _for_! I believe in what you taught me sister, as do we all."

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake looked at Yang, worry in their eyes, but not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. She was shaking, fists clenched as she tried to think, desperately seeking some other solution. But after a few moments, the tension in her muscles eased, and she spoke without lifting her head. "Ok. I'll do it. This…void, or whatever, will regret bringing us to this point. I'll incinerate it back into the nothingness it so craves."

Krēsla, who had remained silent this whole time, grinned from the back and spoke in his tired voice. "There's my big sis."

Aurora turned to the other three. "We must ask you as well. If you accept the power of a dragon, you also accept our burden. Our duty, to protect, to guard, to defend the worlds with your very life if it is required. Do you accept?"

Ruby shared one glance with Weiss and Blake. Both women nodded gravely, before Ruby turned back to Aurora. "Yes. We accept. We'll never stop, and we'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe."

Aurora, now that she had what she wanted, spoke quickly. "Good. We have little time. You'll need to fight them one on one, as they are scattered, but the moment you get the upper hand, they'll all return to my body's side, as the Void won't want to lose its newest soldiers. Be prepared to chase after them, as they have a gate open for them to jump to it. Follow them through it, and finish the fight. They must die inside the void itself for the void corruption to return whence it came. Yang, you'll already be through it, but whatever happens, ignore what my body says to you. It's not me, not anymore, and you need to put it down."

"I know. I get it." Yang said, her voice subdued.

"If this succeeds, you'll finish my prophecy. You'll end the world that all the planes have become, and it'll become a brand new age, a brand new world. That's the meaning of my second to last prophecy," Aurora explained.

Blake arched an eyebrow. "Second to last?"

Aurora nodded gravely. "My last prophecy will be told when you have won or lost. I know it's coming, but I cannot speak it until then."

Krēsla flinched, a growl coming from him. "We don't have any more time. I cannot hold this gate much longer. It's time, begin the ritual."

Yang ran forward, standing before the four dragons. With tears in her eyes, she changed back into her dragon form. Slowly, she reached forward and nuzzled her muzzle against the others, before letting out one last whisper. "I love you."

Emini smiled at her. "We know. We love you too, Yang. Goodbye, big sister." Yang stepped back, tears dripping from her eyes.

Naleli stepped forward, bowing his head to stare into Ruby's eyes. "Ruby Rose. I am Naleli, the Star Dragon. I represent wonder and mystery, and the desire to continue to push forward, into the farther reaches. I bring hope to those who have none, and to bring wishes to life. Do you accept my power, and my burden?"

Ruby gulped, before nodding, her eyes locked with his shimmering blue ones. A great rumbling rose up within him, his chest expanding as he took a deep breath. Opening his mouth, a gentle stream of multicolored light breathed out of him, swirling around Ruby and consuming her form in the light. It wrapped around her, trailing into her, her eyes blazing silver as her back arched. Her body was lifted off the ground, held captive in midair by the light, before it rushing into her, the entire plane looking dim in the wake of the bright flash. Naleli smiled, as his body began to lighten, before becoming translucent. His form existed in a ghostly draconic apparition for a moment, before it vanished, leaving only Ruby.

Ruby gasped, putting her hand over her chest as she fell to her knees, eyes wide. Taking deep, steadying breaths, she held up her to hand to forestall Weiss and Blake's rush to her side. She clambered to her feet, staring at her hands with a look of wonder and awe as she twisted them around. She turned to Yang. "Is that what it's always like for you? I feel…I feel like I can do anything. I've never felt so strong."

Yang chuckled sadly. "Yes, dragons are power. You get used to it." Ruby continued to marvel for a moment, but the moving of the pale white dragon to stand before Weiss brought her attention back to the happenings.

"Weiss Schnee, I am Luna, the Moon Dragon. I represent light to guide your way even in the deepest darkness. I represent love of all kinds, and the desire to protect those you love. Do you accept my power, and my burden?"

Weiss stood tall and proud, arms clasped behind her back as she nodded sharply. Luna smiled softly at Weiss, before repeating what Naleli had done, disappearing as Weiss fell back to the ground, the angel almost losing her balance when she hit the ground below. She gulped repeatedly, biting her lip as she tried to catch her breath. Ruby's steadying hand on her shoulder helped, and she lifted eyes to smile at Ruby, the demon girl looking relieved that she was ok.

Nischa stepped up to Blake. "Blake Belladonna. I am Nischa, the Midnight Dragon. I represent calm and quiet, the time of rest and recuperation. I represent secrets whispered in the dark, and represent those who express their love for one another in the cool, dark night. Do you accept my power, and my burden?"

Blake closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before nodding. She knew what to expect after seeing Ruby and Weiss, and when the breath fell over her, she was able to keep herself steady when she fell back to the ground. She still struggled for a moment, trying to keep control over the power rushing inside of her, but she felt the cool relief of Weiss taking one of her hands and Ruby taking the other. It helped her center herself, and she opened her eyes to smile at them.

Yang stepped forward until she was nose to nose with Emini, who tapped his nose against hers. "You already know who I am and what I represent Yang, but I gotta go through the whole speech and all because it's part of the ritual. Sorry sis." He winked at her, but Yang's expression never wavered, sadness still in her eyes. "Yang Xiao Long, I am Emini, the Noon Dragon. I represent joy and power, laughter and play. I represent the time of day where you dance and sing under the full power of the sun, secure in the warmth and protection it provides. Do you accept my power, and my burden?"

Yang closed her eyes, another tear leaking from her eye before she nodded. Unlike the other three, her draconic form was not lifted off the ground by the light streaming from Emini, but simply infused with his bright yellow light. When her eyes snapped open, light blasted out from her, completely blasting away all darkness anywhere within their vision, revealing the thousands of Simulacrum's gathered behind Aurora's spirit, still standing silent and unmoving. Yang shifted back to her human form, sinking to her knees and weeping softly, her hands up against her eyes.

Ruby sat beside her, wrapping her arms around Yang's shoulders. Blake and Weiss sat on the other side of Yang, just trying to let their presence help. Aurora's spirit floated over before them.

"I'm so sorry Yang, but we can't wait. We have to finish this, and finish it now. Krēsla can't hold it back anymore…plus I think he'd appreciate getting a chance to relax." She tried to inject some humor, but it wasn't reaching Yang at all, even though Krēsla gave a snort of agreement.

"Don't worry sister…we'll be fine. But, you three?" Ruby, Weiss, and Blake looked up at Krēsla's form, as he managed to lay his head down right before them. Looking directly into their eyes, he spoke softly. "Take care of our big sis for us, ok?"

Ruby, feeling very daring, stretched out her hand and placed it gently against his muzzle, softly patting it. "I promise."

Krēsla smiled at them tiredly, before sighing. He ever so gently pushed his muzzle against Yang's head. "Yang, take care of yourself, ok?" Yang reached out to grab onto him, giving him the best hug she could considering his size, before nodding. He smiled, letting out a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes. His form burst into dark purple light, slowly swirling around them, before dissipating into the nothingness. The black gate before them began to swirl and bubble, little sparks of white lightning dancing across it. Aurora's spirit sighed.

"It's time. I'll teleport you three to your realms while Yang enters the gate. I hope, someday, you can forgive me for doing this to you."

Ruby quickly pointed back at the still forms of the Simulacrum's. "What about them?"

Aurora smiled at Ruby. "Don't worry, while I was within them, it was a mutual relationship. They knew I was there and gave themselves as my vessels willingly. They will continue on as they were, they don't need me to be themselves. I was more of a passenger, if you will. I'll take them all back to the Material Plane as well, and then return here to wait for you. When you are finished, I will know. End this. Fix my mistake, and save the worlds."

The four women got to their feet, and within seconds, Aurora's spirit flared, sending them through the dimensions to their respective battlegrounds.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for the lateness of this chapter. My best friend was going through some very upsetting times and I volunteered to be...well, myself, and by being my normal jerk self along with bad jokes, dry sarcasm, and the power of blunt honesty, I helped him feel better! Don't ask me how it works, its a crazy us thing. Also...the ending of this chapter is because I decided that with season 3 comes great responsibility, and new rules, of always leaving people hanging because yay!

Ruby arrived in the Abyss to chaos, far beyond the norm. Demons were fighting, screaming, explosions were heard across the main city Hel, as demons strove against one another. But the arrival of Ruby, heralded by a massive burst of red flames and lightning in the skies above Cerberus Plaza, dragged the conflict that teetered on the edge of civil war to a halt. Ruby fell from the sky, her feet slamming into the ground as she didn't bother to slow her fall with her wings. Gracefully, she stood from the kneeling position she had landed in, her stance proud as her eyes locked on the massive edifice before her.

The Pluto, Lucifer's personal administration building. Demons stared, wide-eyed at Ruby as she calmly strode towards the building before her. Outwardly she was calm, but inwardly she cringed, not enjoying the way everyone kept eyes on her. But she had a mission to complete, a task, something she needed to do, for her people and for all the people. If her entrance and reputation could stymie any interference, she'd accept it. Besides, it's not like she had much of a choice in her entrance…clearly, flair for the dramatics were something dragons shared as a species.

Demons parted before her, shocked by her presence after the plane wide announcement of her death sentence by Lucifer himself. It had led to uprisings amongst the populace…executions hadn't been heard of in the Abyss in millennia, much less ones without any form of trial or even reason produced. Demons were chaotic, yes, but they still had laws, customs, and most of all, honor. Honor would never allow someone to be executed for…what? Spending time with members of other species? Being cursed, something out of their control? No, that did not fit into what most demons considered honorable behavior from their leader.

The riots across the city began to calm, as word spread as fast as magic could fly of Ruby's arrival. She walked up them steps leading into The Pluto, wings loosely fitted against her back. As she stopped before the large double doors, moments away from pushing them open to face Lucifer, another demon came rushing to her side, grabbing her arm. She spun about, alarmed for a brief second, until she recognized Damian's face. Breathing an internal sigh of relief, she let loose her first smile since she had arrived, but the expression on his face was more akin to panic.

"Ruby! What are you _doing_ here? Lucifer is on the warpath, he's enraged and completely out of control!" Damian's voice was panicked and worried, his grip on her arm almost bruising.

Ruby smiled softly at Damian, touched by his concern. She gently pried his hand off her right arm, letting her left fall loose next to her. The black smoke of her scythe formed in her free hand, its edges gleaming. Damian's eyes widened when he noticed the red lightning crackling across it, the aura of power pulsing from Ruby's nearly vibrating form.

Ruby didn't know how to describe how it felt to someone else. She suspected that even amongst their little group who had taken the power, that it felt very different. For her, she could feel the dragon flames blazing inside her, but unlike Yang's powerful, incinerating flames, it felt far more like bolts of energy dashing madly within her form. The magic swirled into her, body and soul, taking her powers of enhancement to levels she hadn't known they could go. She could feel Naleli's powers suffusing her, and though she faced the toughest fight of her life, she simply couldn't feel afraid. All she felt was confidence and hope, knowing deep within that somehow, they would succeed, and bring the worlds back together and safe.

Damian backed off a step as her scythe finished materializing, confusion evident on his face. He opened his mouth to comment, but Ruby placed her right hand on the massive door, stopping just before pushing it open. He shook his head, trying to reason with her one more time. "If you go in there, he'll kill you!"

Ruby smirked, eyes locked on the door before her. Rolling her shoulders and casually resting her scythe on her shoulder, she shoved the door open. Casually strolling inside, she called back "He's going to try."

* * *

Weiss' heels clicked on the solid white floors of the hallway. Her passage had been greeted with stunned silence and hurried whispers, her rapier held loosely in her left hand as she marched towards the doors leading into Gabriel's War Room. A door slammed open behind her, the sounds of running feet dashing after her. She didn't allow it to interfere with her thoughts, recognizing the sound of Uriel's panting breath. He skidded to a stop next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Weiss! What are you doing here? Gabriel is bound to find out you're here!"

Weiss gave Uriel an arched eyebrow. "Of course he is. He already knows. He's expecting me."

Uriel blinked in confusion. "Wait…he invited you here?"

"Oh no. No invitation. But he's expecting me," Weiss replied. She slipped his hand off her shoulder, before taking his hand in her own and smiling up at the older angel. Uriel's jaw dropped at the serenity in Weiss' smile as she spoke. "Uriel, you've been like a father to me since I came into being. You taught me, helped train me, and have tried to protect me for so long. In all that time, have you ever come to trust in me?"

Uriel rocked back, before shaking his head as if to clear it. "Of course I trust you, Weiss. I've always trusted you."

"I didn't ask if you trusted me, I asked if you trust _in_ me."

Uriel paused for a moment in contemplation. When he spoke, it was quiet and slow. "I will always, _always_ , trust in you. No matter what it is you do, or where you go, you'll always have me."

Weiss' smile stretched across her face even further as she closed her eyes and bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Uriel. Stay back please. I have something I must do." Uriel opened his mouth as if to protest, but shut it instantly at the look of determination in Weiss' eyes. Nodding, he bowed to Weiss as he stepped back. He turned sharply on his heel and marched back down the hallway. Weiss couldn't see, but he smiled proudly as he left.

Weiss took a moment to collect herself before the doors. Breathing deep, she opened them with but a wave of her hand, letting her magic do the work for her. Inside her, the dragon's power felt more like ice than fire. It cooled her blood and calmed her mind, keeping her on a steady, even keel. She could feel it flow through her, comforting her in its embrace.

Stepping through, her eyes locked upon Gabriel. The angel was standing, all furniture in the room missing. His mace was resting on his shimmering pauldron, armor glistening in the brilliant white light that the realm itself gave off. His eyes were pure, inky blackness, no trace of any pupil or any sign of his previously beautiful angelic eyes. He sneered at her.

"So, I see you've come to die."

Weiss raised her sword before her, taking her stance. "I came to finish this. But I didn't come to chat." With that, she brought her rapier sidelong to her jaw, pointed directly at him, before darting forward.

* * *

Blake slashed through another vine, sighing deeply. Titania had animated the vines leading into her throne room, as though they had even the remotest chance of stopping Blake's approach. She rolled her eyes as another cloud of poisonous spores were shot into the air, letting the power she had inherited block it before it ever touched her.

The power Midnight had granted her seemed to make her immune to poison, to disease, to even needing to breath. It swirled inside her, mercurial and shifting, like a breeze in the dark. She could feel it, ready to leap out from her at her command. Her shadows had already begun dancing around her, but now they were more than just smoke, they had form. They could cut, they could solidify, they could grasp and entangle…her shadows were as alive as she was, and they shredded everything daring to creep near her.

Blake's musings were interrupted by Undine's voice, as the water nymph swirled into form next to her. Before Blake could speak, Undine had thrown her arms around Blake's neck and hugged her tightly.

" _Blake_! Oh Blake, I was so worried about you! But what are you doing here? Titania's gone crazy! She's trying to force everyone to bow before her, even those who aren't her people! It's insane!" Undine's hands waved frantically as she darted around, looking panicked.

Blake's shadows blocked Undine's way, her eyebrow raised. "Undine, that's why I'm here. I'm here to stop her, once and for all. Just stay back and you'll be safe."

Undine gaped at Blake. " _What_? Stop her? You can't fight her, she'll slaughter you! She's the Faerie Queen!"

Blake's sharp teeth glinted in the dim light around them, her smile confident. "And I'm Blake Belladonna." Blake kept her smile as she turned towards the final barrier before her. With but a thought, her shadows blurred forward, embedding in the wall of wood before her, shredding it, allowing Blake to enter the throne room with dainty steps. Undine gaped, before letting herself flow away, realizing quickly this was about to get ugly…and Blake clearly didn't need her help.

Titania was seated on her throne, eyes narrowed and chin in fist as she glared pure black eyes at Blake. Her voice was echoing, far too deep for her normal voice as she spoke. "So the pathetic little shadow spirit comes to die at my feet, does she?" She stood, in her right she held a gnarled stave of wood, rivulets of black running through it as tiny flashes of light flickered about the staff.

Blake didn't bother with exchanging wit with Titania's possessed form. She hissed, letting her teeth show, before darting forward, shadows leading the way. Six tendrils of dark smoke shot at the Faerie Queen, as Blake burst into black smoke, appearing above Titania. Her sword drawn and arm across her chest, she fell, swinging her blade at the faerie as the tendrils attempted to impale her.

Titania gave a mocking laugh, light erupting off her staff, a shimmering barrier of energy appearing around her. Blake felt a massive shock enter her through her blade, her body cringing as she leapt through the shadows again. Her shadows burst against the barrier, dissipating before reappearing at her side. She narrowed her eyes at Titania, the faerie's laughter fading as she locked eyes with Blake. Snarling, she shot a blast of lightning at Blake from her staff, the shadow spirit leaping to the side to avoid it.

_'This is going to take a while_ ,' Blake thought to herself.

* * *

Yang learned two important things about dragons. One, while dragons are immune to fire, they are not immune to fire from another dragon. Two, dragon-fire _hurts_! She snarled, bodily slamming into the familiar form of her sister. Aurora's possessed body grinned in its draconic fashion, dark acid dripping from its teeth as it bit deeply into Yang's shoulder. Yang roared in agony, swinging her left front claw into the spot where Aurora's wing met her body, nearly ripping it from its seat. Aurora released her shoulder on a hiss of pain, eyes burning with black flames as she opened her mouth to breathe.

Yang shoved her back, stoking her own internal flames and opening her mouth in reaction. The black, oozing flames burst forth from the possessed body of Aurora, as Yang's superheated flame mashed into it, carrying the force of her element and that of her brother. The two forces strove against one another, unable to make headway at first, but Yang decided to take another step. She stopped, instantly hopping up into the air, wings spread, avoiding the stream of flames from Aurora. The darkness holding the Dawn Dragon's body under its control didn't react in time, eyes wide, as Yang dive bombed it from the sky, slamming into its form and ripping at the scales on its abdomen.

It screamed, its voice an amalgamation of uncountable voices that Yang simply did not recognize at first. It shoved Yang off itself, its tail whipping about to hit Yang across her skull, dazing her. It took a deep breath, before speaking soothingly, its voice having faded back into the one Yang remembered.

"Yang, dearest sister, why are you attacking me?"

Yang snarled in return, claws digging into the strange plane below her as she tensed her muscles. "Shut up! You're not my sister, you're some pathetic creature who stole her body!"

It looked affronted, placing a claw over its chest in a gesture that made Yang twitch, an agonizingly accurate gesture Aurora used to make when they were kids and she pretended to be offended. "Yang! That hurts. That really hurts. Come on, you know as well as I do, body and soul can never truly be separated. The Aurora who told you to come here is still connected to me, and I to her. We're still one."

Yang shook her head, growling, as she began pacing around the other dragon. Aurora's form mirrored her actions, the two circling each other as their claws ticked against the ground below them. "S-shut it! I know what you are. You're just a _liar!_ " Yang screamed at the other dragon, flames licking from between her fangs.

"Hah! Oh, I've lied in the past, and I imagine I'll lie in the future, but not this time. I'm telling the truth. You kill me, you kill that last remaining piece of your sibling that tethers her here. All your family, dead and gone, and only you left. The last dragon. You'll be all alone, Sun Dragon."

Yang almost missed a step as she paced, but she continued her steady march as she let her voice fall deeper, almost a hiss. "Alone? I'm not alone, even without the others. I've got Ruby. I've got Weiss. I've got Blake. They are mine and I'm theirs. None of us are alone, and we will never be again. I'll see my family again, someday. I'm not alone…the only lonely one here is you."

It snorted, tiny trails of darkness oozing from beneath its scales, coating the previously brilliant yellow, orange, and light pink scales, tarnishing them. "I'm no more alone than you, Sun Dragon." Yang's eyes widened as three massive ripples formed into the sky above the two dragons, magical energy sparking from them.

Gabriel shot out first, his mace swinging to bat aside a massive storm of ice shards as Weiss flew after him, eyes glowing white. She spotted Yang, and immediately broke off her attack to fly next to the dragon. Gabriel had moved to hover besides Aurora's body, but before Weiss could speak a loud yell came from the ripple to the left.

Titania flew in, her staff pointed towards the ripple, green flames streaking backwards towards the portal. A shield of dark smoke formed in the air, absorbing the smoke, before Blake appearing behind Titania, swinging at her unprotected back. Titania spun about, deflecting her blade with her staff, before ramming the head of it into Blake's chest as she fled to Aurora's side. Blake flew backwards, but Yang's claw shot out, catching her gently as she caught her breath. She looked up into Yang's lilac eyes and smiled, as Weiss fluttered down to stand in Yang's claw next to her. She placed her hand on Blake's gripping it tightly.

Locked together, Ruby and Lucifer tumbled out of the last ripple, her scythe blade caught between the tines of his pitchfork. The two were nearly face to face, identical snarls visible as they broke apart, hovering a small distance apart. Ruby flew backwards as Lucifer did, letting herself alight carefully on Yang's massive shoulder as Lucifer hovered next to Aurora.

A shark-like grin spread across the possessed Aurora's face as she swept her head back and forth to look at the three beside her. "Do you not see, Yang? You were played, manipulated, by your own sister! And the Essences! Why do you four even trust them? Ask these three…the power I offer, it is beyond your comprehension. Why, with it, you could bring peace to all the realms! You could fix all the problems of every world, easily! Why not join us, join me? I only wish to help…"

"She speaks the truth. Aurora has always known what was best, you know this. Besides, this feeling…it is worth any price. Come Blake…you are worthy of this gift, you are strong and wise. You could help me rule all!" Titania grinned, the black ooze covering her wings entirely, the once diaphanous, beautiful fey wings they were now covered in this pitch black acidic substance.

"Weiss, you know we Angels follow orders. We must keep structure, balance, and order! We can do it so easily with this power! We could bring beautiful law to all! Come, Weiss…come back to your people, and let us remake these worlds a truly beautiful, ordered paradise." Gabriel's voice was pleading, as the blackness coated his chest and began to slowly seep into the feathers of his wings.

"Yes, do as they…all…s-s-s-…," suddenly, Lucifer was interrupted, his voice snarling as he slammed his head into his hands. He curled in on himself, lightning flickering about him, before his head snapped back up and locked eyes with Ruby. Before, his eyes had been the same empty blackness of the others, but for a brief moment they were brilliant blue once more. "N-No! Do not listen! Stop…stop… _US_!" He screamed, before the darkness surrounded him bodily, his eyes snapping back into the blackness.

That seemed to be the trigger, as all four gave a simultaneous snarl, and flew straight towards the women. They shared one glance with each other, and a nod, taking comfort in each other's presence, before hefting their weapons to meet the charge.

* * *

Ruby sighed internally as she deflected another swing from Lucifer's weapon. The battle had stretched into its second hour, and they weren't getting anywhere! In this strange realm of…nothing, they had no fears of collateral damage. And so everyone had let loose, accessing all the powers they had control over, but even with the inner flames of the dragons Ruby could tell their side was not getting anywhere. Every wound they struck was almost instantly healed by the dark ooze, and it didn't seem like it was an exhaustible resource. Them, on the other hand…

Ruby could see out of the corner of her eye Weiss, desperately trying to put distance between herself and the possessed Gabriel. His prodigious strength, along with his mastery of enhancement magic like hers (although his focused on strength and stamina over speed and agility), meant Weiss would not afford to try to block his mace at all. She could only dodge, whereas he could easily take the counter hits she thrust into him. Even when she summoned the massive elemental magic she had, he could break through her barriers, crush her attacks, and send her flying when he hit her.

Blake was dashing around Titania, constantly leaping through the shadows and attacking from every angle, but the Faerie Queen seemed to find it no trouble to predict her movements. Her staff or a magical barrier was in the way, every single time, blocking every swing, every stab, every attempt at finding a weak spot to harm the fae.

Yang and Aurora's battle was far larger in scale than the others, flames flying about forcing everyone to dodge in mid swing. Scales were rent, wings were shredded, but Yang kept getting the worst of it as Aurora's body kept healing the damage.

Ruby was at a loss of what to do. They couldn't give up, but even she could feel herself tiring. Her swings were coming slower and with less precision, making it even easier for the possessed Lucifer to fend her off. Her musings were interrupted when she realized, in a split second, that she had made a mistake. Time seemed to slow as she saw Lucifer realize the same thing she had. Eyes wide, she could only watch as Lucifer suddenly parried her swing, her arms out wide, chest unprotected. Lucifer grinned, blackness dripping from between his teeth, as he brought his weapon back, the tips of the tines dripping with the same black ooze they all had. She could only stare as the pitchfork headed straight towards her unprotected chest.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are...the last chapter of this fic. I'm sad to see it end, and no, before I'm asked, I don't have plans for a sequel. Yet. I may revisit this AU, because I had a ton of fun making it, but for now...I present to you the climax of When This World Ends.

Time seemed to stop for a moment, as Ruby suddenly found herself floating in pure blackness. Everything around her had faded, her vision of Lucifer and the others disappearing. For a brief second, Ruby wondered if she was dead, but dim red light began to pulse around her, somehow illuminating only what was right before her. Ruby felt a presence, something pulling within her, as a voice whispered in her ear. "Do not fear, young demon. You are not only a dragon, but a demon, a child of the Abyss."

Ruby gaped, recognizing the voice. "T-Tartarus?"

She felt more than saw the nod, and the humor blossoming around her. "Yes, young demon, it is I."

Ruby gulped. "Am…am I dead?"

A quiet chuckle came from the blackness. "No, not yet. And if I have anything to say about it, not for a long time hence. Ruby, my dear child, do you remember the curse?"

"Uh, that's kinda hard to forget. It was really painful you know!"

The chuckle sounded again. "Yes, I know. I felt as you did. But the thing about that curse is that it only brought out what was already within you."

Ruby started, shaking her head for a second in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Ruby, you are one of my greatest children. You've done more in your short years than most of your race did in millennia. You stand on the brink of either the salvation or destruction of all the worlds. This is a great responsibility we've laid on your shoulders, a monumental task. You don't think I'd abandon you in your hour of need, do you?"

Ruby arched an eyebrow, cocking her head to the side. "Um…I guess?"

Ruby could almost feel the silent smile the darkness gave. "Chaos is an inherent part of your being. It exists within you, but also outside of you. It is what connects you to me, and the Abyss itself. The curse had given more Chaos into you than your body could handle, and that is why you lost control. But now…Ruby, now you are far more than you once were. You can be _so_ much more! All you need do, is allow yourself to become all that you are."

"I…I don't understand. You mean like, re-curse myself or something?"

"Accept who you are, Ruby! Accept the power within you, accept _my_ power! Ascend, become my warrior, my hero…become the true Avatar of Chaos itself! Ruby, accept who you are, and you will find that the powers of Chaos will come to your beck and call. You can not only save these worlds, save Lucifer's souls and that of his friends, but you can save your people and bring them forward into a new age, a new world of hope and light! All you need to do Ruby, is trust me. Do you trust me, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby paused for a moment to contemplate that, floating serenely in the darkness. Closing her eyes, she flashed back to the few times she'd spoken to Tartarus, and to the sincerity that rang in its voice. More than that, she could _feel_ its power within her, feel exactly what it referred to. She opened her eyes and spoke with finality. "I do trust you, Tartarus. I'll be your hero." She could feel the warm joy coming from the darkness about her, before she felt something within her pushing out from inside her chest, and then everything _changed_.

* * *

 

Weiss and Blake cried out in unison as they saw the tines of the pitchfork nearing Ruby's unprotected chest. Yang had already thrown Aurora off her and lifted her wings to fly to Ruby's side, knowing deep down that nothing she could do would reach the demon in time. But before anyone could react, a thunderous retort rocked the room as red and black lightning _exploded_ outward from Ruby's form. Lucifer was thrown away by the shockwave, spinning aimlessly in the void as he tried to right himself. The lightning obscured Ruby's form, its brilliant flashes skating across her body as brilliant red light surrounded her. The lightning shifted to purple for a second, before the light that had consumed her exploded out from her form, rolling across the nothingness and blinding all nearby for a brief moment. When eyes opened, seven mouths dropped open in astonishment.

Two sets of demonic wings stretched from Ruby's back, flapping merrily in the void they were in. Her hair had elongated, falling past her shoulders in deep red and black waves. Her horns jutted out higher from her head, as her claws showed far more prominently on her hands. In her left, her scythe looked even more massive, and in her right she held a spear of glowing purple light that looked familiar to her three allies. The three had fear and worry written across their faces, despairing that somehow the curse had taken her again.

Ruby turned about to face them, grinning. Her face held no traces of madness, though her teeth had once again become elongated and sharp. Her eyes glowed, silver light emanating from them, as she winked at the three. Looking down at herself, those gathered could clearly hear her mutter to herself "This is _so cool!_ " She rolled her shoulders, craning her neck about and cracking it, flexing her hands on her weapons. Holding the spear up before her face, she inspected it quickly, spinning it about smoothly.

Ruby turned to face Lucifer, resting her scythe on her shoulder and pointing the spear at Lucifer, her expression melting to a serious one. "Lucifer Morningstar, ex-leader of all Demon-kind, I am Ruby Rose! I carry both the burdens of the Star Dragon, and that of Chaos itself! I will bring you down, for the sake of my world…and for your own."

* * *

 

Weiss found herself trying to somehow make sense of what happened, but she was startled out of her reverie by a voice in her mind, one she recognized.

"Weiss, my dear child. As you see before you, Ruby has accepted Tartarus' power, and has become a true exemplar of her race. She has taken control over the power my sibling instilled in her. The same power is within you, Weiss. And like Ruby, you could not have controlled it before. But now, with Luna's power within you, you can take what I offer!"

Weiss gulped, but kept her mental voice steady as she replied, eyes still locked on Uriel's still form. "What exactly are you offering?"

Olympus' voice was soft and soothing, somehow comforting, but Weiss could feel the urgency in its tone. "I offer you everything I am. As Ruby now can master Chaos, I offer you mastery of Order. I offer you the power to reshape the worlds yourself, to give your race a new path to follow. I offer you a chance to make angels great again, and to save your fallen commander. Weiss Schnee, I offer you my very power. All you must do is accept it. If you trust me, if you believe I wish for you to succeed, all you need to do is accept what is already inside of you. It is, as it always was, your choice."

Olympus' voice faded away, but Weiss could feel it still watching her, waiting with anticipation to see what she chose. Raising her hands to cup her blade before her chest, the blade of her rapier pointed straight up, Weiss took a deep breath, closing her eyes, before whispering " _I accept._ " She breathed out into the nothingness. Instantly, she felt the changes shimmer across her skin, felt the sudden change take over.

Her skin hardened and paled, becoming nigh translucent as it suddenly crystallized. Two more sets of wings erupted from her back, the six flexing independently, but instantly forming into crystalline structures. Her feathers honed to a razor sharp edge, as her hair fell down her back in waves of shimmering white gemstone-like strands. Her hair made a musical chiming noise as it fell to and fro in motion with her, the gentle sound at odds with her now razor edged form. Her breath misted from her mouth as her eyes opened, revealing two ice blue gemstones in their place.

She smiled thinly, speaking in an oddly echoing voice as she held her rapier pointed directly at Gabriel. "I am Weiss Schnee, exemplar of Order and inheritor of the burden of Luna, the Moon Dragon. Commander Gabriel, prepare yourself!"

* * *

 

Blake's shock at Ruby's transformation was quickly squashed as she felt the familiar slippery feeling of Aether's mind touching hers. It took only a second for her to process what happened, even as Aether spoke directly into her mind.

"I see you've already figured it out, Blake. I knew you'd get it."

"What did you _do_ to her?" Blake demanded, teeth gritted.

It sounded affronted for a moment, and Blake swore that if it had a humanoid body it would have its hand placed dramatically over its heart in mock injury. "Firstly, _I_ did nothing. Tartarus did. Secondly, all that happened was she accepted the power Tartarus gave her when it made her. As Olympus gave to Weiss, as Gaia gave to Yang…and as I gave to you. She is still Ruby, and before you worry yourself out of sleeping at night, she can return to the form she was in before. We've come before you to help you finish this."

"By changing me into something else? By turning me into your puppet?!" Blake growled, glaring at nothing but feeling better to at least be doing something.

"What? No! Blake, I created you! If I wanted a puppet, I would have made you into one. I'm only offering you what is already within you. All you need do is accept it, and you can become my guardian. My guardian of change. That's all. Blake, I have not yet turned on you, and I do not plan to start now. I know it is difficult for you to trust me, but just this once, will you?"

Blake let her eyes roam the battlefield, catching glance of the blank stare of Titania. The musical threat Weiss gave had her eyes widen as she saw the changes Weiss had undertaken, and she let out a deep sigh. "We can return to normal after this?"

"Of course. This power belongs to you, and you can use it or set it aside as you need."

"…I accept," as Blake spoke, she felt Aether's presence dwindle away, and with it her very form dispersed. She _burst_ into black smoke, her shadows now expanding out in countless directions as her body diffused into an inky cloud of darkness. The smoke swirled together into a mildly humanoid form, but with no distinguishing features beyond her amber eyes staring piercingly at Titania. Her mouth appeared in the smoke for a moment, as her wispy voice carried across the battlefield. "Titania, Queen of the Faeries, I am Blake Belladonna. I am the guardian of Change, and she who took the burden of the Midnight Dragon. I will _end_ you!"

* * *

 

Yang could feel the Essences talking to the other three, so wasn't fully shocked when she felt the ever familiar touch of Gaia itself. Gaia's voice was deep and exhausted, slow in its tone as it spoke, each word seemingly said with great effort.

"Yang. My first child. I need not tell you what you must do. You know. Become power. Become strength. Embrace your role as my protector. I believe in you, first of my children." Gaia's tired voice disappeared, but Yang could feel it watching her. Smiling ruefully, Yang allowed the power roiling within the deepest part of her soul to be released, trusting implicitly in her creator.

A kaleidoscope of colored flames rushed along her body, overflowing from beneath her scales, giving her entire form a glowing hue. Yang's wings took it a step farther, becoming flame entirely, ceasing to exist as physical entities. The fire surrounded her form, scintillating in multiple colors, giving her an ethereal, glowing appearance. Her tail curled around her legs as she stared down at Aurora's possessed form. "I am Yang Xiao Long, Sun Dragon and first of all of Gaia's children. You stole my sister's body, stole her lovers from her, and tried to take everything dear to me. I am Power, I am Strength, I am the Protector, and you will _never_ hurt another living thing _AGAIN!_ " Yang's last word was a roar, before she lifted off in a wave of fire, and shot herself directly at Aurora.

As if that were a signal, Ruby seemed to disappear, a single rose petal in her place, before she appeared behind Lucifer's still frozen form. Startled, he quickly tried to defend, but Ruby's mastery over her scythe and now the spear seemed to have increased in those brief moments, every attack a smooth continuation of the last one. Ruby slipped past his defense, slashing deep into one of his wings, making him tumble from the sky for a brief moment before he managed to right himself, but not before Ruby had appeared next to him again, spear leading the way, scythe in motion right behind it.

As Lucifer desperately tried to defend himself, Weiss had flung her wings forward. Her diamond feathers shot from her wings, flying towards Gabriel like a thousand knives. He brought his mace to bear and tried to deflect them all away, but his speed was sorely lacking compared to the numbers. Hundreds of razor sharp feathers sliced through his skin. He growled, calling upon the darkness to heal them, but the black ooze was sluggish in its motion, as though something were repelling it. His eyes went wide, just in time to notice Weiss' rapier headed towards his face. He quickly knocked it away with his mace, before mustering up a massive two handed swing into Weiss' side. He grinned, thinking he finally had her, but to his consternation, the crystalline skin she had seemed completely unperturbed. Weiss smirked at Gabriel. "You'll need to do better than that, Gabe."

Titania desperately threw every spell she knew at the cloud of shadows that was Blake, but she couldn't seem to harm her at all. Every spell impacted into the cloud harmlessly, her being simply reforming again and again into the shadowy humanoid figure in the darkness. Shadows clouded Titania's vision, ripping at her body from every angle as she spun and dove, trying to escape the creeping smoke around her. She stopped short as a tendril of darkness appeared before her, grabbing her arm in its secure grip. A flash of darkness later, and Titania felt as though an incredibly sharp blade had stabbed deep into her abdomen. She cried out in pain, before growling in return, summoning an immense hurricane of wind to try to blow Blake's form away from her. The shadows dispersed instantly, swirling into the wind, making Titania breathe a sigh of relief, but her moment was quickly shattered as the shadows instantly reformed about her. Blake's mouth appeared in the cloud once more, a wide, Cheshire cat like grin stretched across it, before it disappeared, leaving behind only the glowing amber eyes in the smoke.

Aurora screamed in agony as Yang's flames raked her side. The black ooze trickled out, trying to cover the wounds, but it seemed unable to heal the burns as it hissed and bubbled when it contacted the charred skin. Yang's claws shredded one of Aurora's wings, grounding her as Yang bodily smashed her into the ground. She slammed her flaming wings into Aurora's face, burning the edge of her mouth, before gripping Aurora's head with one claw and ramming it into the ground. Yang reared back, jaw open wide, before shooting her head forward in one lightning quick motion and sinking her teeth into Aurora's neck.

Weiss spun about, a storm of swirling crystals surrounding her and Gabriel. A thousand cuts appeared on his body, his motions slowing as he was worn down by the spiraling razors. He had no time to react when Weiss' full crystal form shoulder blocked into his abdomen, knocking his mace clean out of his hand. Weiss flung herself back for a moment, drawing her rapier up to her cheek and gazing steadily upon him with sapphire eyes. She took one deep, steadying breath, before thrusting her weapon forward, impaling him straight through the chest.

Blake flung her shadow arms outward from herself, letting the shadows become a roiling cloud of darkness that swiftly surrounded the wounded Titania. The Faerie Queen had only a moment to watch in horror as it consumed her, disappearing into the cloud for a brief moment. A loud scream echoed from within, before it dissipated, revealing Titania with multiple slashes across her body, blood splayed all over her. She fell from the sky, gasping for air, sprawling out when she impacted the ground.

Ruby slammed her scythe into Lucifer's pitchfork with such force it was nearly torn from his hand. As he desperately tried to keep control over it, she spun about, letting the weight of her spin carry her scythe across. He brought his polearm up in an attempt to block it, but it struck him so hard it ripped the weapon clean from his hands and sent him careening through the air. As he flipped head over heels, he could see Ruby rearing back, spear in her right hand and pointed clean at him. A tiny smile cross his face, as his eyes faded to blue, just as Ruby launched the spear.

It collided with him, piercing him through the chest and pinning him to the ground. The smile on his face remained, even as the darkness hissed out from the wound and disappeared into the air. Ruby landed next to him, looming over him and looking down at his now blue eyes. A trickle of blood escaped his mouth as he smiled up at her, giving her a tiny wink, before his eyes closed and his last breath escaped him in a rattling hiss.

Yang lifted her blood drenched muzzle, Aurora's head falling to the side as her neck limply flopped onto the ground. For a brief moment, the four stood, unsure of what to do now, as all of the darkness escaped their forms. But a sound behind them had them all spinning about, to see the darkness itself coalescing into a single, humanoid form. Opening a gaping hole of nothingness, it spoke, a thousand voices roiling together into a cacophony of noise.

"You have defeated me this day, in fair combat. The victory, and the day, is yours. But remember one thing…I am everywhere. I am eternal. I exist so long as existence exists, as I exist to return all to the void. As long as you exist, I exist. And one day, I _will_ return."

Ruby flew up into the air, daintily landing on the tip of Yang's muzzle as the dragon loomed over the figure. Weiss alighted onto one of Yang's shoulders, as Blake rested her smoky form against Yang's front claw. Ruby hefted her scythe, resting it on her shoulder as she glared down at it. "Yeah, we know. You'll be back blah de blah. And when you come back, you'll be met with sword and scythe, with fire and ice. You'll be met by spirit and angel, by demon and dragon. You'll be met again and again by _us_ , and we will put you right back where you belong, again, and again, and _again_. We're the protectors of these worlds, of our people, of all people…and you will _never_ break us."

A slow chuckle came from the dark figure, as it began to break apart, the black ooze slowly whisking away into the void. "Well put, demon. Well put. We'll meet again, my dearest compatriots."

Yang jerked her head back, confused for a moment as it disappeared into nothingness. "Compatriots? What was it even talking about?"

Blake shrugged, her voice a whisper. "I have no idea."

Before anyone else could react, a brilliant yellow glow appeared by Aurora's body, as her spirit stepped into the void, hovering above the broken dragon corpse. She gazed sadly down upon her body, before sighing. Lifting her hand up, the glow surrounded the bodies of the four possessed, their forms vanishing without a trace. But three more glowing figures came to stand by Aurora, each one smiling as they stood close by her spirit.

"Thank you, Ruby. For freeing me, for helping to free my loves, for ending my mistakes. Please, lead our people better than I did," Lucifer's spirit spoke, bowing low before the demon girl. Ruby stood tall, nodding solemnly, even as the lightning circling her faded and she reverted herself to her normal form.

"Weiss, you are the very best of us. I'm proud of you, and glad you will be taking command of our people. And give Uriel a promotion would you, he's been after that thing for centuries now…but I _really_ despise paperwork," Gabriel winked at Weiss, surprising a choked giggle from Ruby and Yang as Weiss gaped at him, her skin returning to its smooth pale form.

Titania's spirit rushed forward, hands outstretched to gently take Blake's reformed hand in her own. "Blake, I am _so_ sorry for everything I did to you. I do not expect forgiveness, but thank you. You returned me to my beloveds, and for that I am eternally grateful. Please, lead the Spirit World into peace, and undo all the damage I have wrought."

Blake patted Titania's translucent hand and gave her a half smile. "I will, I swear." Titania nodded, smiling brightly at Blake, before flitting her spirit over to sit on Lucifer's shoulder. The four smiled upon them, as Aurora stepped forward once more, a calming smile on her face.

"I promised you my last prophecy, and now that time has come. It goes thusly. ' _When the last dragon protects, when the shadow's heart connects, when the demon adores and the angel soars, this world will begin anew._ '" The four glanced between each other, before sharing a secretive smile. Aurora bowed before them once, before locking eyes with Yang. "We'll see each other again, Yang. But…not anytime soon, ok?"

Yang shifted back to her human form, a tear trickling from her eye that she quickly wiped away, sniffling slightly as she smiled. "Yeah. I love you, sis."

Aurora's smile widened even further as she began to fade. "I love you too, sister. And girls? Take care of my big sister for me. I'll be watching. Goodbye." The four spirits disappeared, as the world about them also suddenly seemed to blink out of existence. They found themselves alone in the Juncture, the dark gate crumbling into nothingness behind them, leaving them standing in the dark mists.

Things were silent for a second, before Weiss broke it, a question in her tone. "Soooo…what do we do now?"

Ruby and Blake shrugged as Yang rolled her shoulders, craning her neck about. "Well, I dunno about you ladies, but I think that…what was it called, Jacuzzi? That swirly bath thing of Weiss' sounds like a _really_ good idea right now."

"You just want to see us naked again," Blake deadpanned. Yang giggled behind her hand, giving Blake a wink, making the shadow spirit flush slightly.

"Well, I mean…we are together…kinda…right?" Ruby asked, tapping her fingers together.

"Yes but we have responsibilities now! We have to go back, get everything in order, fix all the laws and do damage control! We can't just slack off and go take baths together, no matter how much we want to kiss!" Weiss ranted, arms flailing as she glared at the other three.

Yang arched an eyebrow. "Princess, no one said anything about kissing…something you wanna tell us?" Weiss' eyes went wide, flushing slightly as she turned away from Yang, crossing her arms over her chest and hunching her shoulders. Ruby and Blake shared an embarrassed giggle, before Ruby winked at Blake. Flitting in front of Weiss in a flurry of petals, Ruby quickly gave Weiss a gentle kiss on her lips. Weiss instantly dropped her arms and sighed into it, but before she could wrap her arms around Ruby the demon had already flitted off to repeat the process on Blake and Yang.

Weiss pouted for a moment, but Yang's strong arm took her around the waist and fused their lips together for a second, before grabbing Blake in her other arm. Yang quickly kissed Blake, and then shoved the two together to kiss again, making Weiss give out a deep sigh as she broke her kiss with Blake. She rolled her eyes at Ruby and Yang, but couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Ok, you talked me into it, we'll take a small break. _Then_ we have to get to work!"

Ruby did a fist pump, hissing ' _yes_ ' to herself as Blake grinned. Yang winked at Weiss. "Small, eh? We'll see about that." With a single wave of her hand, Yang allowed Gaia's power to flow through her again, opening a direct gate to Weiss' mansion on the Material Plane. Ruby threaded one of each of her arms through Weiss and Blake's, keeping a firm grip on both of them as she nearly dragged them through the gateway. Yang paused for a moment, taking a brief second to glance around at the empty world around them, until Ruby's voice called out to her worriedly.

"Yang?" Looking into the gate, she could see the three looking at her, confusion written on their faces.

Yang smiled at them, her heart filled with love for the three women before her, and let go of her hurt. Taking a deep breath, she nodded, stepping through the gate after them.

* * *

"Well…we did it," Tartarus' voice echoed out.

"That you did, my sibling, that you did," another voice called out. A swirling void of absolute nothingness formed, floating serenely next to Olympus. "You beat me fair and square this time. How many tries has it taken?"

Olympus bobbed in the air, its version of a shrug. "I lost count after the ten millionth time. It is sad that we must fight like this though, Null. I wish it didn't have to be like this."

Null seemed unconcerned. "It's not any of our fault. Anytime I release a soul, it tries to return existence to nothingness. It simply is what it is. I'd avoid releasing souls so as not to destroy your creations, but I cannot."

"Yes, we don't blame you either. We just dislike it," Aether added, swirling about for a brief moment.

"Still, let us not dwell on that. It was a masterful stroke of yours, that love trick. You almost defeated my child with the first one. But it certainly was not expecting that second quartet. Gaia, those dragons of yours are quite impressive." Gaia rumbled, not bothering to speak. Null seemed to agree. "Yes, she really was something. Although I admit to being a little on the fence about the humans."

"Yeah we're not sure how good they are either. Still figuring that one out," Olympus said.

"Well, either way, you won this game fair and square. Well done, family, well done. I'm quite proud of you." Null's voice was sincere as it floated in the space.

"Thank you, Null. But now what shall we do?" Tartarus mused.

Null paused for a moment, before bobbing in the air as a shrug. "Up for another game?"


End file.
